Department of Health and Social Care

Pharmacy

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Written Statement of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health of 20 October 2016, Official Report, column 971, for what reason the Government has not encouraged the national roll-out of the pharmacy minor ailments scheme with clinical commissioning groups.

Steve Brine: A national minor illness scheme is in development. A pilot digital minor illness referral service (DMIRS), direct from NHS 111 to community pharmacy, commenced in the North East last year. Three further DMIRS pilots, supported by the Pharmacy Integration Fund, are due to be launched by early autumn 2018, in Devon, London (in a phased approach), and East Midlands. The areas will be adopting the same model used in the North East with some minor adaptations dependent on the local NHS 111 case mix. An evaluation will inform any next steps for the project.

General Practitioners: Surveys

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the total cost has been of GP patient surveys issued over the period of 2013 to 2017.

Steve Brine: NHS England inherited responsibility for the GP Patient Survey from the Department from 1 April 2013. During the period April 2013 to 2017 over 9.5 million patients were invited to take part in the survey at a cost of approximately £14.9 million.

NHS: Negligence

Mr Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to review the three-year time limit on legal action for clinical negligence claims against the NHS.

Stephen Barclay: There are no plans to review the three-year limit in medical negligence cases. Under section 11 of the Limitation Act 1980 a patient is able to bring a claim for damages for clinical negligence against a trust or any other healthcare provider within three years from the date of injury. However, this can be longer if:- the patient is a child, when the three year period only begins on his/her eighteenth birthday;- the patient has a mental disorder within the meaning of the Mental Health Act 1983 so as to be incapable of managing his/ her own affairs, when the three year period is suspended; and- there was an interval before the patient realised or could reasonably have found out that he/she had suffered a significant injury possibly related to his/her treatment. The ‘date of knowledge’ of an injury could be a number of years after the treatment. In recognition that there may be some cases where the prescribed period is inadequate, the Limitation Act 1980 also gives the court discretion to disapply the limitation period in respect of claims for personal injuries when it considers it just and equitable to do so.

Ovarian Cancer

Lee Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 18 December 2017 to Question 120087 on Ovarian Cancer, what the timetable is for a decision to be announced on the next round of cancer audits; and whether ovarian cancer will be included within those audits.

Steve Brine: NHS England will hold discussions over the next six months on potential new clinical audit topics including ovarian cancer.

Ovarian Cancer

Lee Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that ovarian cancer is either diagnosed or ruled out within 28 days.

Steve Brine: NHS England is committed to rolling out a new Faster Diagnosis Standard by 2020 to ensure that patients referred for an investigation with a suspicion of cancer are diagnosed or have cancer ruled out within 28 days. National Health Service trusts were able to begin using the new pathways from April 2018 and all will be expected to be using them from April 2019. NHS England committed more than £200 million in cancer services over the next two years, to accelerate diagnosis and enhance quality of life.

Ovarian Cancer

Lee Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of running an awareness campaign on the symptoms of ovarian cancer.

Steve Brine: Public Health England ran a regional pilot ovarian campaign in the North West of England from 10 February to 16 March 2014. The campaign’s key message was ‘Feeling bloated, most days, for three weeks or more could be a sign of ovarian cancer. Tell your doctor’. The public awareness survey results, general practice attendance data and referrals data suggest that the regional campaign did have an effect on the target audience’s understanding of the key symptom of ‘bloating’. However, the results showed no impact on diagnoses and there has not been any further roll out of the campaign. Results for the number of cancers diagnosed, the stage at cancer diagnosis and survival have shown no evidence of an impact, although it has been difficult to evaluate due to small numbers, the availability of the data sets and a time lag in terms of the effect.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer 21 May 2018 to Questions 144263 and 144264 on In Vitro Fertilisation, for what reason his Department does not collect information on IVF provision centrally; and what assessment he has made of the effect of not holding that information centrally on (a) women seeking IVF and (b) the ability of his Department's to analyse the provision and resourcing of fertility treatment options available in England.

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the implications are for his policies of the recent data for Fertility Fairness on the number of clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in England offering the recommended three IVF cycles to eligible women under 40 years of age having halved in the last five years and only 12 per cent of all CCGs following national guidance; what assessment he has made of the reasons for that reduction in the number of CCGs offering three cycles and following that guidance; and if he will make a statement.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Information about individual clinical commissioning groups’ (CCGs) local commissioning approach to fertility services has never been collected by the Department. NHS England is the national body which has oversight of the functions of the National Health Service commissioning system in England. It is for NHS England to consider what data is necessary for it to undertake this role most effectively, taking account of the burden of data collection on CCGs. Information collected by Fertility Fairness, through Freedom of Information requests, does show a disappointing reduction in the number of CCGs offering the full recommendations of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Fertility Guidance. The Government has been clear that CCGs should take full account of the NICE Fertility guidelines when considering the assessment and treatment of fertility problems for their local population, as this represents the best evidence of clinical effectiveness. CCGs are accountable to NHS England, which has a key role to ensure that CCGs, as statutory organisations, deliver the best possible services and outcomes for patients within their financial allocation. CCGs have a statutory responsibility to commission services which meet the needs of their local population. CCGs have to make difficult decisions about commissioning cost-effective care, but they do this based on patient needs and clinical evidence. We expect NHS England to ensure the CCG is not breaching its statutory responsibility to provide services that meet the needs of the local population.

Suicide: Helium

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the availability of helium gas on suicide rates.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department has been working with stakeholders over a number of years, including the British Compressed Gases Association, to assess the availability of helium and suicide risk and is considering options for addressing this risk. The Office for National Statistics collects and monitors deaths relating to gases, including helium. The number of deaths in England relating to helium, including self-inflicted deaths, increased between 2007 and 2016 from three in 2007 to 57 in 2016. The mortality rate relating to helium (per one million population) increased from 0.2 in 2008 to 1.0 in 2016. Mortality rates are not calculated in an individual year where the number of deaths is below 10.

Prostate Cancer

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department has taken to promote awareness of the symptoms of prostate cancer; and whether his Department plans to take steps to encourage men to be tested for prostate cancer.

Steve Brine: Public Health England (PHE) will be re-running the national Be Clear on Cancer campaign on ‘Blood in Pee’ from 19 July – 23 September 2018. The campaign highlights the fact that blood in pee could be a sign of cancer and encourages people to see their general practitioner if they experience this symptom. Although primarily aimed at bladder and kidney cancer, blood in the urine can also be a sign of prostate cancer. PHE ran the Be Clear on Cancer ‘Prostate Cancer’ local pilot campaign in October – November 2014, specifically targeting Black African-Caribbean men, because of their significantly increased risk of developing prostate cancer compared to the general male population. The campaign included posters, print, community radio messaging, street ambassadors and public relations. Campaign materials have been made available to Prostate Cancer UK so that they can be used in any future activity. PHE works closely with the Department and NHS England to ensure that health care professionals are also targeted with campaign information to encourage earlier diagnoses and referrals. PHE also works closely with the devolved administrations to ensure consistency of messages in their own campaigns and initiatives.

Artificial Sweeteners

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for people's health of using artificial sweeteners.

Steve Brine: All sweeteners used in food in the European Union must undergo a rigorous safety assessment by the European Food Safety Authority before they can be used. As part of the evaluation and authorisation process, conditions of use (including limits if appropriate) are set based on the maximum amount considered safe to consume each day over the course of a lifetime. EU food additives legislation stipulates the conditions of use for all food additives.

Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 21 May 2018 to Questions 144259, 144260 and 144261 on Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust, when he next plans to meet with representatives of North Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust.

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 21 May 2018 to Questions 144259, 144260 and 144261 on Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust, if he will publish the range of actions have been taken and are underway to help improve performance at the Trust.

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 15 May 2018 to Questions 144259, 144260 and 144261 Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust, when he expects the Emergency Care Improvement Programme to formulate and enact an action plan for North Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust.

Stephen Barclay: Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust is receiving a substantial package of support co-ordinated by NHS Improvement, to cover operational productivity, finance and clinical improvement. An NHS Improvement Quality Improvement Director is in place to support the Trust’s quality improvement efforts whilst the Trust is in Quality Special Measures and support is being provided to the Trust’s medical leadership in terms of consultant support and medical engagement. Onsite support from the Emergency Care Improvement Programme and the regional service improvement team has commenced with a particular focus on improvements within the Emergency Department, on the wards to support flow through the hospital, and work with system partners to support patient discharge. The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care does not currently have any future plans to meet with representatives of the Trust. I recently visited the Trust and met Trust leadership and staff.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to raise awareness of myalgic encephalomyelitis among the public and medical practitioners.

Steve Brine: There is information on chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) for both healthcare professionals and the general public via the NHS Choices website. Further information is also provided in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) clinical guideline on CFS/ME, which is provided in formats suitable for both professionals and the public. Both the NHS Choices and NICE guidance can be found at the following links: www.nhs.uk/conditions/chronic-fatigue-syndrome-cfs/ www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg53 Education and training is also an important feature in building the awareness of clinical professionals. In terms of education and training, the General Medical Council sets out the knowledge, skills and behaviours that new United Kingdom medical graduates must be able to demonstrate and Royal Medical Colleges, such as the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), set the standards for postgraduate medical education in general practice. General practice is where most patients with CFS/ME are likely to be managed, and the condition is identified as a key area of clinical knowledge in the RCGP Applied Knowledge Test (AKT) content guide. The AKT is a summative assessment of the knowledge base that underpins general practice in the United Kingdom within the context of the National Health Service and is a key part of GPs’ qualifying exams. In addition, the RCGP offers a free online e-learning course for clinicians which covers the diagnosis treatment and care of patients with CFS/ME. Once fully qualified, clinicians are responsible for ensuring their own clinical knowledge remains up-to-date and for identifying learning needs as part of their continuing professional development. This activity should include taking account of new research and developments in guidance, such as that produced by NICE.

Cystic Fibrosis

Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of treating people with cystic fibrosis in each of the last five years.

Steve Brine: No specific estimate has been made, though some data are collected through the NHS Reference Costs data collection, which provides the average unit cost to the NHS of providing defined services to National Health Service patients in England in a given financial year. The following table shows the estimated total cost of treating cystic fibrosis within secondary care in each of the last five years. YearEstimated total cost in secondary care (£ million)2012-13£84.82013-14£102.02014-15£105.62015-16£107.82016-17£105.7 Source: NHS Improvement Reference Costs Note: For children with cystic fibrosis there are two models for the delivery of care:- Full care delivered entirely by a specialist cystic fibrosis centre; and- Shared care delivered by a network cystic fibrosis clinic, which is part of an agreed designated network with a specialist cystic fibrosis centre. The network cystic fibrosis clinic is linked to and led by a specialist cystic fibrosis centre. Named providers for network clinics were collected for the first time in 2012-13.

Orkambi

Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions his Department has had with representatives of cystic fibrosis charities on the availability of Orkambi on the NHS for people with cystic fibrosis.

Steve Brine: The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Health (Lord O’Shaughnessy) met with the Cystic Fibrosis Trust (CFT) on 7 March 2017 following an adjournment debate in December 2016 on “Implications of the Accelerated Access Review (AAR) for Cystic Fibrosis and other Conditions” to discuss Orkambi. A meeting has also been scheduled between the Prime Minister and the Chief Executive of the CFT, David Ramsden, and the hon. Members for Dudley North (Ian Austin) and Hemel Hempstead (Sir Mike Penning), to discuss the availability of Orkambi. Lord O’Shaughnessy and I wrote to Vertex in April following a Westminster Hall debate, to encourage the company to work with NHS England on a proposal that represents value to the National Health Service and the taxpayer.

Cystic Fibrosis

Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of NHS England taking a portfolio approach to its evaluation of the cost-effectiveness of cystic fibrosis medicines.

Steve Brine: The Department has made no assessment. Negotiations between NHS England and Vertex on Orkambi continue, and the final decision on any arrangement lies with NHS England, and not the Government. The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Health (Lord O’Shaughnessy) and I wrote to Vertex in April following a Westminster Hall debate to encourage the company to work with NHS England on a proposal that represents value to the National Health Service and the taxpayer.

Social Services: Disability

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government has made an assessment of the potential effect on disabled people of lowering the eligibility criteria for social care; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Dinenage: The Care Act 2014 set out the eligibility criteria for social care which is set at a national minimum level. We are not making a specific assessment of the potential effects on disabled people as the Government published an Impact Assessment of the Care Act in 2014. We are currently evaluating implementation of the Care Act as a whole. Where a person is assessed as having eligible care and support needs, these must be met by their local authority. For those who do not meet the eligibility criteria, local authorities should signpost people to relevant services.

NHS Trusts: Fines

Gareth Snell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the total value of all fines levied by clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) against NHS trusts was for the financial year 2017-18; and what guidance his Department provides to (a) NHS England and (b) each CCG on how revenue raised through such fines should be used.

Steve Brine: Information is not held centrally on the level of fines levied by clinical commissioning groups against National Health Service trusts during 2017/18. In terms of the use by commissioners of revenue withheld from providers through financial sanctions, guidance on this is set out in NHS England’s Contract Technical Guidance, at section 40.5 onwards. This guidance sets out how commissioners may use funding they retain as a result of the application of contractual sanctions, recommending that the commissioner considers whether it is possible to invest the withheld funding in a way that will help to rectify the performance problem.

Health Services and Social Services: Cost Effectiveness

Sir Kevin Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking with the Treasury to implement value-based healthcare into plans for health and social care services.

Steve Brine: The Department of Health and Social Care and HM Treasury discuss with National Health Service bodies on a regular basis how to improve value for patients and taxpayers in the commissioning and delivery of NHS services. A number of measures are in place, including NHS RightCare, an NHS England supported programme to ensure the best possible care is delivered as efficiently as possible. NHS RightCare has been rolled out across local health economies in England, with all clinical commissioning groups having a dedicated Delivery Partner to help support and implement the RightCare approach.

Health Services: Cost Effectiveness

Sir Kevin Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether it is his Department’s policy that commissioners can consider the full (a) economic, (b) social and (c) population health value of a health service intervention and not only its acquisition cost when making a commissioning decision; and what guidance his Department has issued to support such decision making.

Steve Brine: The National Health Service needs to be able to deliver the right care, in the right place, with optimal value. Commissioners must consider the interests of patients when making commissioning decisions, not only the financial cost of commissioning a particular service. Guidance is available to support clinical commissioning groups. In September 2016, NHS England and NHS Improvement published the NHS Operational Planning and Contracting Guidance 2017-19. Subsequent refresher guidance has also been published. In March 2018, NHS England also published updated guidance on planning, assuring and delivering service change for patients. NHS RightCare is a national NHS England-supported programme committed to delivering the best care to patients, making the NHS’s money go as far as possible and improving patient outcomes.

Primary Health Care: Drugs

Sir Kevin Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support greater collaboration between GP surgeries and community pharmacies to ensure the optimal usage of medicines at primary care level.

Steve Brine: NHS England is supporting the development of primary care networks through which local providers of primary care, including general practitioners (GPs) and pharmacies, collaborate to better integrate services for patients. In addition, through the Pharmacy Integration Fund, NHS England is working to better utilise the skills and expertise of pharmacy teams to improve clinical effectiveness and reduce demand on GPs and other parts of primary care system. To support this, regional pharmacy integration events are being planned to run through 2018. These events will bring together Sustainable Transformation Leads, pharmacy providers and wider stakeholders to promote collaboration and consider how community pharmacies can be better utilised to support people to stay well in the community.

Health Services and Social Services: Cost Effectiveness

Sir Kevin Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential contribution of community pharmacies to building long term value in the health and social care system at the (a) local and (b) primary care level.

Steve Brine: Ministers recognise the important contribution that community pharmacies already make and also that they have so much more to offer. Ministers see community pharmacy playing an enhanced role in the health and care of our country with pharmacy teams supported to do more to help people stay well in the community, and in doing so helping to reduce the demand on other parts of the system, including primary care. In particular, the Government has been piloting the use of community pharmacies to support urgent care and the management of minor illness in the community. Alongside public awareness campaigns promoting pharmacy as a first port of call for a wide range of minor health concerns, the Digital Minor Illness Referral Service directs patients into community pharmacy from NHS 111 Online and the NHS 111 phone line. The impact of this work is being evaluated and will be carefully considered by Ministers. In addition to this, over 9,000 community pharmacies are registered Healthy Living Pharmacies, proactively delivering lifestyle advice and promoting wellbeing and self-care to people in the community. This is an important resource that local teams can commission to deliver a wide range of services to meet the unique needs of their local population.

Accident and Emergency Departments: Standards

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what percentage of accident and emergency departments met the four-hour standard in (a) Essex, (b) The East of England and (c) England in 2017.

Stephen Barclay: Information on the percentage of accident and emergency (A&E) departments which met the four hour standard in Essex and the East of England is not available in the format requested. NHS England collects and publishes performance data against the four-hour A&E standard at both a trust and a national level. The data is not available by the requested areas. Data covering A&E departments in England for the 2016/17 financial year is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/statistical-work-areasae-waiting-times-and-activityae-attendances-and-emergency-admissions-2016-17/

Accident and Emergency Departments

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what is the remit of an accident and emergency unit.

Stephen Barclay: Accident and emergency (A&E) department types are defined according to the activity performed. The definitions are as follows: Type 1Emergency departments – consultant-led 24-hour services with full resuscitation facilities and designated accommodation for the reception of accident and emergency patients.Type 2Consultant-led mono specialty accident and emergency services (e.g. ophthalmology or dental) with designated accommodation for the reception of patients.Type 3Other type of A&E/minor injury activity with designated accommodation for the reception of accident and emergency patients. The department may be doctor-led or nurse-led, treats at least minor injuries and illnesses and can be routinely accessed without an appointment. A service mainly or entirely appointment-based (for example a general practitioner practice or outpatient clinic) is excluded even though it may treat a number of patients with minor illness or injury. This category excludes National Health Service walk-in centres.Type 4NHS walk-in centres.

Accident and Emergency Departments: East of England

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many accident and emergency units were in operation in the East of England in each year from 2010 to 2017.

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many accident and emergency units were in operation in England in each year from 2010 to 2017.

Stephen Barclay: This information is not held centrally.

Mental Health Services: Children

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing support for child mental health helplines run by the third sector as part of his plan to improve children’s mental health.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department for Education already supports the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) through an £8 million grant over four years (up to 2020), as a contribution to funding ChildLine (a phone and online advice service for children) and the NSPCC’s National Helpline (for anyone with concerns or worries about a child). NHS England’s Five Year Forward View for Mental Health sets out the current transformation programme to support children and young people’s mental health. In terms of our future plans relating to children’s mental health, we have recently consulted on ‘Transforming children and young people’s mental health provision: a Green Paper’. We aim to publish our response to the consultation, which will set out the next steps in implementing the proposals, before summer recess.

Breast Cancer: Screening

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many women in (a) England, and (b) Birmingham, Edgbaston constituency have not been sent their invitation to their final breast screening appointment.

Steve Brine: Initial precautionary analysis identified 195,565 women, registered with general practitioners in England, who may not have been sent an invitation for a mammogram between the ages of 68 and up to their 71st birthday. This included 293 women in Birmingham Edgbaston constituency. Following further detailed record review by Public Health England, using data provided by NHS Digital, 122,726 of these women were confirmed as not having received a screening invitation in the appropriate period. All of these women have already been written to and some of the women contacted have accepted the offer and received their screen.

Health Services: Foreign Nationals

Dr Paul Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that exemptions to charging under the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors (Amendment) Regulations 2017 and as set out in his Department's accompanying guidance are being applied to qualifying patients.

Dr Paul Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has (a) implemented a public awareness strategy and (b) issued guidance to ensure that patients eligible for exemptions under the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors (Amendment) Regulations 2017 are made aware that they are exempt from such charges.

Dr Paul Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) complaints and (b) redress procedures are available for patients (i) whose treatment has incorrectly been withheld by a hospital demanding payment for treatment upfront and (ii) who have been billed for treatment under the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) (Amendment) Regulations 2017 and as set out in his Department's accompanying guidance.

Stephen Barclay: The Department has made information on the rules around entitlement to free National Health Service treatment publicly available for several years. The Department has issued guidance to providers of NHS funded secondary care that sets out the rules and best practice processes to follow to identify chargeable patients where no exemption from charge category applies to either the patient or the type of service they are accessing. This guidance is publicly available on Gov.uk. The rules around charging overseas visitors for NHS care, including the list of exemption categories, are also set out for the public on NHS Choices, so that patients can be aware of their chargeable status prior to accessing NHS care. We continue to work closely with the NHS on best methods of communicating more effectively to patients, including revising guidance, translated letters in foreign languages, tools and support frameworks to support NHS providers and frontline staff, to ensure patients are made aware of the Charging Regulations. Where an NHS patient is unhappy with the healthcare they have received, it is right that they, or someone on their behalf and with their consent, can use the NHS complaints procedure. Relevant providers need to ensure that they and patients charged for NHS services are aware of the complaints procedure and that there are effective operational links with the organisation’s complaints manager that reflect the extant guidance on managing complaints. If a patient considers that they have been charged incorrectly, they should collaborate with the overseas visitor manager to discuss on what basis they have been found to be chargeable and whether the provision of further documentary evidence is required. Where there continues to be a disagreement about how the Charging Regulations have been applied to a particular patient, the patient may want to seek the services of the relevant body's Patient Advice and Liaison Service. The NHS complaints procedure can be found at NHS Choices: https://www.nhs.uk/nhsengland/complaints-and-feedback/pages/nhs-complaints.aspx

Midland Metropolitan Hospital Smethwick

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 10 May 2018 to Question 139949, when work on the Midland Metropolitan Hospital is planned to restart.

Stephen Barclay: The Government remains committed to the Midland Metropolitan Hospital project. Ministers across Government are determined to finish construction as quickly as possible in a way that secures best value for the tax payer. We are in active discussions with all relevant parties to restart the project as soon as possible. The lenders that finance the private finance initiative company put forward a proposal to restart the project. That would have involved a further contribution of public capital. Ministers concluded that this proposal was not acceptable to the Government, for a number of reasons, and that only a contractual solution could be considered.

Prosthetics

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many microprocessor knees have been prescribed by the NHS in England since they were introduced.

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average cost of a knee prosthetic is to the public purse.

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, under what circumstances microprocessor knees can be prescribed to amputee patients under NHS England guidelines.

Caroline Dinenage: Since December 2016, when NHS England approved funding for the use of microprocessor controlled prosthetic knees, 350 knees have been prescribed. In its financial planning and budget allocations, NHS England have assumed an average total cost of £14,400 for each microprocessor controlled prosthetic knee. The circumstances in which a patient is eligible to be considered for a microprocessor knee is set out in the clinical policy on the NHS England website at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/clin-comm-pol-16061P.pdf

Children: Mental Health

Dr Paul Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has discussed with the Secretary of State for Education the potential effect of the use of isolation as a form of punishment in schools on children's mental health.

Jackie Doyle-Price: My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has not a specific discussion with the Secretary of State for Education around the potential effect of the use of isolation as a form of punishment in schools on children’s mental health.

Foetal Alcohol Syndrome: Mental Health services

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 4 June 2018 to Question 147893, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of ring-fencing mental health funding to ensure that people affected by Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and wider mental health illnesses can access mental health treatment.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department does not generally ring-fence budgets within the National Health Service. The Health and Social Care Act 2012 gave clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) the autonomy to make decisions about the health services that best meet the health needs of their population based on local evidence of patient need. No assessment has been made on the potential merits of ring-fencing mental health funding to ensure that people affected by Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and wider mental health illnesses can access mental health treatment. The Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme began in 2008 and has transformed treatment of adult anxiety disorders and depression in England. Over 900,000 people now access IAPT services each year, and the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health has pledged to expand services further to see 1.5 million people treated for mental health problems every year by 2020/21 alongside improving quality. IAPT practitioners are able to treat common mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety which people with FASD may present with.

National Institute for Health Research

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding allocated to (a) physical ill health and (b) mental ill health was coordinated through the National Institute for Health Research in each year for which data is available.

Caroline Dinenage: Information on funding coordinated through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) relating to physical ill-health and mental ill-health is not held in the format requested. The following data have been supplied by the following NIHR coordinating centres:- NIHR Central Commissioning Facility- NIHR Evaluation, Trials and Studies Coordinating Centre- NIHR Trainees Coordinating Centre- NIHR Clinical Research Network Coordinating Centre These centres hold data by Research Activity Classification but do not all disaggregate ill-health, either physical or mental, from normal biological functions and processes, and health service provision. The years for which data are available also vary between centres. Therefore, the following tables show NIHR research spend on mental health research and physical health research since 2014/15, when data is available for all coordinating centres. Mental health spend 2014/152015/162016/17Total£77,872,474£74,308,876£77,943,383Physical health spend (All other spend, i.e.: all spend with mental health spend removed) 2014/152015/162016/17Total£761,739,539£764,314,955£761,231,502

Foetal Alcohol Syndrome

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will list the 20 health authorities in England with the highest incidences of foetal alcohol syndrome in ranked order in (a) 2010 and (b) 2017.

Steve Brine: Data is not collected in the format requested.

NHS: Negligence

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of deaths attributed to medical negligence in each year for which data is available.

Stephen Barclay: Open and honest reporting of patient safety incidents is a fundamental pillar of a good patient safety culture. Information on patient safety incidents, including serious incidents which result in severe harm or death, is recorded on the National Reporting and Learning System (NRLS). The primary purpose of the NRLS is to enable learning to continuously improve the safety of patient care. Data is not collected at a national level on whether reported deaths are due to medical negligence, but NHS Resolution, the body which manages claims against National Health Service organisations and independent sector providers of NHS care in England, has provided the following information: The number of clinical fatality claims received between 1 April 2000 and 31 March 2017 (by Incident Year) and the number of those which has been successful as at 31 May 2018. The values below five are represented by a ‘*’ symbol: Incident YearNumber of Claims RegisteredNumber of Successful Claims1955/56**1973/74*01975/76*01976/77*01977/78**1978/79**1979/80*01981/82*01982/83*01984/85**1985/86**1986/875*1987/88**1988/899*1989/901061990/911481991/9225111992/9328111993/9427171994/9555291995/9665451996/9791551997/981861161998/993441941999/004702772000/015903352001/026773842002/036794142003/047074512004/057505022005/068245412006/078726042007/089426832008/091,0747402009/101,0696962010/111,2167452011/121,1235612012/131,2783842013/141,1572392014/159091012015/16614252016/17149*Total15,9868,190 Notes: These numbers only represent claims reported to NHS Resolution; they do not represent an estimate of the total number of deaths attributable to clinical negligence. This data is for England only and does not include claims made against primary care providers.

Accident and Emergency Departments

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people attended A&E in Q4 of (a) 2017-18 and (b) each year since 2010-11.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what percentage of patients were seen within 4 hours in A&E in (a) 2017-18 and (b) each year since 2010-11.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many type 1 accident and emergency admissions there were in each year since 2010-11.

Stephen Barclay: Information about accident and emergency (A&E) activity – including the number of attendances, performance against the four-hour standard, and the number of admissions – is published on a monthly basis by NHS England and can be found online at the following address: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/ In Q4 2017/18, there were 5,867,668 A&E attendances across all A&E department types. 85.0% of these attendances were seen and admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours. There were 1,116,862 emergency admissions via type 1 A&E departments. The annual totals for each year since 2010/11 are given in the table below. YearTotal A&E attendances,  All typesPercentage attendances less than 4 hours, All typesTotal emergency admissions,  Type 12010-1121,380,98597.4%3,478,7432011-1221,481,40296.6%3,585,7492012-1321,738,63795.9%3,727,0622013-1421,778,65795.7%3,792,8062014-1522,354,78193.6%3,968,0272015-1622,920,43591.9%4,081,8062016-1723,362,30189.1%4,204,1842017-1823,878,14588.4%4,401,257

NHS: Finance

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the total deficit was of the NHS provider sector at the end of each financial year since 2010-11 to date.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, in which budget area the largest average overspend by NHS trusts took place in each year since 2010-11.

Stephen Barclay: The following table provides a time-series of the aggregate net deficit reported by the provider sector for each year from 2010-11 to 2017-18.YearSurplus/(deficit) (£ million)2010-114582011-124762012-135442013-14(107)2014-15(842)2015-16(2,448)2016-17(791)2017-18(960)Note:2010-11 to 2016-17 as per published Department of Health Annual Report and Accounts 2016-17. 2017-18 figures as per NHS Improvement Quarterly Performance Report Q4 2017-18. Reported deficit includes the adjustment for the provider element of the remaining winter pressures funding and is based on draft accounts data that may change due to local audits being finalised for inclusion in the Department’s Annual Accounts 2017-18 due to be published in July 2018. The main budgeting areas against which trusts plan include income, pay, agency costs and non-staffing related expenditure. A surplus or deficit is the combination of these categories and a trust will plan against these expenditure categories and agree these plans with NHS Improvement at the beginning of each financial year. Expenditure budgets are set at the start of the financial year. Providers may spend more than they originally planned at the start of the year, simply because patient care demand was higher than originally planned for. Whilst this appears as an overspend, for individual providers the additional income associated with the increased patient volumes may mean the overall financial position is not adversely impacted. Although surplus/deficit data from 2010-11 is publicly available as published in the Annual Report and Accounts, detailed plan data on expenditure categories is only available on a comparable basis for all trusts from 2015/16. Data from 2015-16 to 2017-18 has identified that pay, including agency spend, was the budget area which saw the largest average overspend. Details on provider outturns against plans are published quarterly from 2016-17 onwards by NHS Improvement.”

Diabetes: Medical Equipment

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which clinical commissioning groups refuse patients with diabetes access to flash glucose monitoring technology; and what estimate he has made of the cost of each session of such access.

Steve Brine: NHS England has advised that it does not hold information on which clinical commissioning groups refuse patients with diabetes access to flash glucose monitoring technology. In relation to the cost, Drug Tariff guidance to the Drug tariff can be found at the following link: https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/manufacturers-and-suppliers/drug-tariff-part-ix-information

Breastfeeding

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of babies on discharge from neonatal care in England are fed breast milk in each of the last five years.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to promote and support breastfeeding for mothers of babies in neonatal care.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much has been spent from the public purse per mother per year to support breastfeeding in each of the last five years.

Jackie Doyle-Price: NHS Digital has provided a count and proportion of babies recorded in the Maternity Services Data Set (MSDS) as admitted to a neonatal unit by breastfeeding status on discharge from hospital, all submitters, 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18 year to date. The MSDS has been collected since April 2015 and captures information at each stage of the maternity service care pathway such as booking appointments, labour and delivery information. The most recent monthly data available is for February 2018. This information is provided in the following table.  2015/162016/17April 2017 - February 2018 CountProportion %CountProportion %CountProportion %Exclusively breast milk feeding1,916384,019405,02839Partially breast milk feeding773151,741172,15017No breast milk feeding at all2,403474,260435,68444Missing/invalid breast milk feeding status3,658 7,994 9,844  Public Health England (PHE) delivers a broad programme of work which contributes to increasing breastfeeding. This includes within the Healthy Child Programme and the five mandated health visiting contacts with families which provide opportunities to discuss starting and sustaining breast feeding. PHE and UNICEF UK have developed a toolkit to support commissioning of evidence-based interventions to improve breastfeeding rates across England, including provision of effective professional support to mothers and their families through implementation of the Baby Friendly Initiative in every maternity unit. Data is not collected centrally on how much has been spent from the public purse per mother per year to support breastfeeding.

Personality Disorders

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps are being taken better to diagnose people with narcissistic personality disorder and to provide such people with professional support.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Having a personality disorder can have a big effect on the person's life, as well as their family and friends. We expect clinicians to use their professional training and judgement in diagnosing people with personality disorders and providing appropriate support and treatment thereafter. Treatment for personality disorders may involve talking therapy, group therapy and medication. Further advice and support is also available from the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the voluntary and charitable sector.

Tobacco

Sir Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the level of vendor compliance with the tobacco and related products regulations in respect of vaping; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: The Department commissioned the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) to assess compliance with the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 including e-cigarettes. The CTSI published its latest report ‘A Rapid Review of Nicotine Inhaling Product Compliance with the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations’ in May 2018 and is available at the following link: https://www.tradingstandards.uk/news-policy/tobacco-control/tobacco-compliance-and-rapid-reviews

Colorectal Cancer: Screening

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average cost to the public purse has been per person for Lynch Syndrome testing for people diagnosed with bowel cancer over the last twelve months.

Steve Brine: This information is not collected centrally.

Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission

Local Government: Elections

Cat Smith: To ask the hon. Member for Houghton and Sunderland South, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, with reference to the correspondence of April 2018 between the Equality and Human Rights Commission and the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how the Electoral Commission scrutinised the Equality Impact Assessments carried out by the five local authorities participating in the voter ID pilots; and at what point that scrutiny took place.

Bridget Phillipson: The Electoral Commission offered, during the set-up of the pilots, to comment on the Equality Impact Assessment produced by each pilot area. The Commission received the documents as they became available from October 2017 onwards and provided comments either directly to the pilot authority or via the Cabinet Office.The Commission’s evaluation will consider if any of the pilot provisions had a disproportionate impact on particular groups in these areas.

Speaker's Committee On the Electoral Commission: Internet

Cat Smith: To ask the hon. Member for Houghton and Sunderland South, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what progress has been made to date on the Commission's project to review all the guidance listed on its website.

Bridget Phillipson: The Electoral Commission has set up a project to modernise the way in which it presents its guidance, working closely with users. The project is on track to deliver the first guidance in the new format during 2019.

Vote Leave

Tom Watson: To ask the hon. Member for Houghton and Sunderland South, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, to whom the Electoral Commission has sent advance copies of its report into electoral fraud in the Vote Leave campaign; and what the planned publication date for that report is.

Bridget Phillipson: The Commission has concluded its investigation announced on 20 November 2017, into Vote Leave and other campaigners. The Commission has written to those being investigated to advise them of the initial findings. In accordance with statute they have 28 days to make further representations before final decisions are taken. The Commission will then announce the outcome of the investigation and publish an investigation report.

Prime Minister

Members: Correspondence

Martin Docherty-Hughes: To ask the Prime Minister, when her office plans fully to respond to the letter of the hon. Member for West Dunbartonshire dated 25 April 2018 on his constituent, Jagtar Singh Johal.

Mrs Theresa May: A reply has been sent by my Rt Hon Friend, the Minister of State for Asia and the Pacific.

Department for Work and Pensions

Access to Work Programme

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for how long her Department has required Access to Work claimants to provide invoices for the services of their self-employed support workers; and what guidance and notification was given to Access to Work claimants about that change of practice.

Sarah Newton: Access to Work grant funding is awarded and claimed in arrears with the customer being responsible for ensuring claim forms and the appropriate documentation is attached. This is either receipts, invoices or appropriate documentation demonstrating the support costs that have been incurred. This is a requirement of verification and assurance that the public funds are issued for the purpose for which they were intended. There has been no change to the requirements of supporting information when claiming and as such there is no guidance or notification given to the Access to Work claimants.

Unemployment: Doncaster North

Edward Miliband: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the most recent (a) youth unemployment, (b) unemployment and (c) employment rates are in Doncaster North constituency; and what proportion of the working age population are recipients of employment support allowance in that constituency.

Alok Sharma: The latest available estimates from the Annual Population Survey (APS) for the year to December 2017 estimate that: The unemployment rate for people aged 16 and over in Doncaster North was 4.7%, down from 10.5% in the year to December 2010.*The employment rate for the working age population (those aged 16-64) in Doncaster North was 73.1%, up from 67.1% in the year to December 2010.* Due to small, disclosive sample size issues the information requested for youth unemployment in the Doncaster North constituency is not available. Administrative data from November 2017 shows that there were 4,876 Employment Support Allowance (ESA) claimants in Doncaster North. This represents approximately 8.5% of the working age population (those aged 16-64) in Doncaster North. Note: *The sub-regional labour market data is estimated by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), using the Annual Population Survey. The figures above are the best central estimates of the labour market performance in Doncaster North, taking into account sampling variability. However, the small sample size of survey respondents at constituency level means that the confidences levels are generally too large at this level to be able to say there has been a real change in data over the period with any certainty. For that reason, both the rise in employment and the fall in unemployment are said to be statistically insignificant. The level of youth unemployment in the Doncaster North constituency was unpublished due to very small disclosive sample sizes.

Employment Schemes: Young People

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many young people have received support through the Youth Obligation to date; and how many of those people have subsequently gone on to (a) an apprenticeship, (b) a traineeship and (c) a work placement.

Alok Sharma: I refer the hon. Member to my reply to Question 138342 on 1 May.

Employment Schemes: Young People

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of young people have stopped receiving benefits since being on the Youth Obligation programme.

Alok Sharma: I refer the hon. Member to my answer to Question 138343 on 1 May.

Employment Schemes: Young People

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many young people have been sanctioned while receiving support through the Youth Obligation programme.

Alok Sharma: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Jobcentres: Glasgow

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many FTE employees based in Shettleston JobCentre have received basic training on administering universal credit claims.

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many FTE employees based in Springburn JobCentre have received basic training on administering universal credit claims.

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many FTE employees based in Newlands JobCentre have received basic training on administering universal credit claims.

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many FTE employees based in Partick JobCentre have received basic training on administering universal credit claims.

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many FTE employees based in Govan JobCentre have received basic training on administering universal credit claims.

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many FTE employees based in Laurieston JobCentre have received basic training on administering universal credit claims.

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many FTE employees based in Castlemilk JobCentre have received basic training on administering universal credit claims.

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many FTE employees based in Drumchapel JobCentre have received basic training on administering universal credit claims.

Alok Sharma: All DWP staff delivering Universal Credit undergo a comprehensive learning journey designed to equip them with the tools, skills and behaviours required to provide a high quality service to all claimants, including those who have complex needs. This learning includes facilitator-led learning and skills practice, supported by multimedia learning materials.Shettleston, Springburn, Newlands, Partick, Govan, Laurieston, Castlemilk and Drumchapel Jobcentres are all scheduled to go live with Universal Credit Full Service later this year (2018). A full roll out schedule for Universal Credit is available via the Parliament website. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/693928/universal-credit-transition-rollout-schedule.pdf Before delivering Universal Credit Full Service Work Coaches receive a minimum of 90 hours additional training which builds on their existing skills and knowledge to prepare them for their role. New staff taking up this role will receive at least 178 hours of job-specific learning. The learning journey is blend of face-to-face and online learning, which focuses on the technical delivery of Universal Credit, the transformational change, as well as consolidation of their training post-completion. Work Coaches will continue to receive ongoing training, ensuring that they are confident in providing claimants with the support they need. In addition, sites are supported at the time of rollout by colleagues already experienced in delivering Full Service. Following their training, we continuously develop our staff on the job to support them to deliver Universal Credit, and consolidate their learning effectively.

Jobcentres: Glasgow

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many FTE employees were based in Shettleston JobCentre in each year since 2010.

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many FTE employees were based in Partick JobCentre in each year since 2010.

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many FTE employees were based in Castlemilk JobCentre in each year since 2010.

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many FTE employees were based in Govan JobCentre in each year since 2010.

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many FTE employees were based in Laurieston JobCentre in each year since 2010.

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many FTE employees were based in Springburn JobCentre in each year since 2010.

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many FTE employees were based in Newlands JobCentre in each year since 2010.

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many FTE employees were based in Drumchapel JobCentre in each year since 2010.

Alok Sharma: The requested information for the numbers of FTE (full time equivalent) employees based in Shettleston, Partick, Castlemilk, Govan, Laurieston, Springburn, Newlands and Drumchapel Jobcentres, for the years data is available, is: JobcentreMarch 2016March 2017March 2018Shettleston26.3728.6863.72*Partick34.1832.7865.58*Castlemilk11.4111.8614.41*Govan41.1939.5238.58 **Laurieston25.9123.9720.95 **Springburn43.8946.1460.96*Newlands37.0738.2152.09*Drumchapel12.4716.7115.63** Notes:All figures are rounded to the nearest decimal point due to DWP’s FTE calculation process.* Increases in the 2018 figures for five sites above reflect the recent changes to our estate.** Decreases in the 2018 figures are due to normal staff attrition and a rebalancing of resources across the district FTE data is not available for the period 2010 to 2015.

Universal Credit

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will publish the  policy and practice guidance her Department issues to decision-makers on supporting vulnerable people who claim for universal credit.

Alok Sharma: The Department’s guidance on how the law is interpreted for Universal Credit decision makers is contained in “Advice for Decision Making” (“ADM”). There is guidance in the ADM which is aimed at setting work related requirements and how this has to take account of all of a person’s circumstances, including those who are vulnerable or with complex needs. In addition, the guidance on whether a person has a good reason for not complying with a work related requirement instructs decision makers to take account of all the circumstances of the case and this includes guidance on Victims of domestic violence;People suffering with health problems including mental health issues;Homelessness;Domestic emergencies;Caring responsibilities;Where there is a risk to a person’s health and well-being;This list is not exhaustive and decision makers are trained to judge the merits of each individual case. The ADM can be accessed on gov.uk at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/advice-for-decision-making-staff-guide . The guidance on setting and turning off work-related requirements can be found in chapter J3, and the guidance on good reason can be found in chapter K2.

Social Rented Housing: Landlords

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many social sector landlords have registered with the Landlord Portal to date.

Alok Sharma: As of 25 May, 215 social sector landlords were enrolled on the Landlord Portal. The list of landlords enrolled on the Landlord Portal is available in the House of Commons library at the following link: https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/business-papers/commons/deposited-papers/?fd=2018-04-04&td=2018-04-04&search_term=Department+for+Work+and+Pensions&itemId=119004

Universal Credit

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claims for universal credit have been closed as a result of an incomplete identity verification.

Alok Sharma: The requested information is not available Where the claimant does not have sufficient documentary evidence to verify their identity, DWP follows a process known as a biographical security check, whereby the claimant is asked a series of security questions to validate their identity. Should the claimant fail the biographical security check, as an additional safeguard we can approach a third party to validate the claimant’s identity (subject to the claimant giving their consent).

Personal Independence Payment: Orthopaedics

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with lower limb amputations received a lower level of financial support under personal independence payment than under disability living allowance.

Sarah Newton: As of October 2017, 5,630 Disability Living Allowance (DLA) claimants have been re-assessed for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) whose main disabling condition is recorded as ‘lower limb amputation’. Their outcomes were as follows following re-assessment: Outcome of re-assessmentReceived a higher awardReceived the same awardReceived a lower awardDisallowed (i.e. received no award)Number of claimants2,240 (40%)1,350 (24%)1,640 (29%)400 (7%) In addition, there were 220 claimants reassessed for PIP recorded whose main disabling condition is recorded as ‘upper and lower limbs amputations’ (i.e. multiple amputations). We do not know in these cases whether their amputations are for upper or lower limbs as this is not recorded on the computer system. Their outcomes were as follows following re-assessment: Outcome of re-assessmentReceived a higher awardReceived the same awardReceived a lower awardDisallowed (i.e. received no award)Number of claimants100 (46%)70 (30%)40 (20%)10 (3%) This is unpublished data. It should be used with caution and it may be subject to future revision.Data is based on main disabling condition as recorded on the DLA computer system. Claimants may often have multiple disabling conditions upon which the decision is based but only the primary condition is shown in these statistics.Figures are based on initial PIP outcome only.Figures include claims under normal rules and special rules.Data taken from the DLA and PIP computer system’s management information.Data has been rounded to the nearest 10.Percentages may not sum to 100% due to rounding of individual values.Figures are for Great Britain only.

Personal Independence Payment: Autism

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder who were unsuccessful in their application for personal independence payment have had that decision overturned on appeal.

Sarah Newton: The number of claimants with autism spectrum disorder listed as the main health condition, who were originally awarded no benefit and then had that decision overturned at appeal, since the introduction of PIP, is as follows: Financial Year of Initial DecisionOverturned at Appeal2013/14202014/152202015/167902016/171,480April 2017 – December 2017210 The total number of decisions made against claimants who had autism spectrum disorder listed as the main health condition, but may or may not have been awarded some level of benefit, and the number of appeals for the same time frame is as follows: Claim Financial YearNumber of DecisionsNumber of AppealsAppeal Rate2013/14720304%2014/1511,1003703%2015/1618,7601,1906%2016/1729,5902,1507%April 2017 – December 201822,7403201% Autism Spectrum Disorder includes the main health conditions of Rett syndrome, Asperger’s syndrome and autism. It is important to note that some of the more recent claims may not have had the chance to progress through the claimant journey to appeal. Data has been rounded to the nearest 10. Appeals data is up to December 2017. PIP data includes normal rules and special rules for the terminally ill claimants, and is for both new claims and DLA reassessment claims. Appeals data taken from the DWP PIP computer system’s management information. Therefore this appeal data may differ from that held by Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service for various reasons such as delays in data recording and other methodological differences in collating and preparing statistics. Appeals data may include some cases where the initial decision was changed at Mandatory Reconsideration. Data is based on primary disabling condition as recorded on the PIP computer systems. Claimants may often have multiple disabling conditions upon which the decision is based but only the primary condition is shown in these statistics. The number of claimants with autism spectrum disorder listed as the main health condition, who were originally awarded no benefit and then had that decision overturned at appeal, since the introduction of PIP, is as follows: Financial Year of Initial DecisionOverturned at Appeal2013/14202014/152202015/167902016/171,480April 2017 – December 2017210 The total number of decisions made against claimants who had autism spectrum disorder listed as the main health condition, but may or may not have been awarded some level of benefit, and the number of appeals for the same time frame is as follows: Claim Financial YearNumber of DecisionsNumber of AppealsAppeal Rate2013/14720304%2014/1511,1003703%2015/1618,7601,1906%2016/1729,5902,1507%April 2017 – December 201822,7403201% Autism Spectrum Disorder includes the main health conditions of Rett syndrome, Asperger’s syndrome and autism. It is important to note that some of the more recent claims may not have had the chance to progress through the claimant journey to appeal. Data has been rounded to the nearest 10. Appeals data is up to December 2017. PIP data includes normal rules and special rules for the terminally ill claimants, and is for both new claims and DLA reassessment claims. Appeals data taken from the DWP PIP computer system’s management information. Therefore this appeal data may differ from that held by Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service for various reasons such as delays in data recording and other methodological differences in collating and preparing statistics. Appeals data may include some cases where the initial decision was changed at Mandatory Reconsideration. Data is based on primary disabling condition as recorded on the PIP computer systems. Claimants may often have multiple disabling conditions upon which the decision is based but only the primary condition is shown in these statistics.

Department for Work and Pensions: Non-departmental Public Bodies

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions,  how many (a) women and (b) men her Department has appointed to each of her Department's non-Departmental Public Bodies in each of the last five years.

Guy Opperman: Data on the gender diversity of new non-executive appointees to public boards for 2012 to 2015 is published on Gov.uk https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/diversity-in-public-appointments. The Commissioner for Public Appointments completes and publishes an annual data survey of all new appointments and reappointments made to boards of public bodies by Government including the overall gender diversity.

Health and Safety Executive: Income

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much commercial income was accrued to the Health and Safety Executive in each of the last five years.

Sarah Newton: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has earned the following commercial income in each of the last five years:  2013/142014/152015/162016/172017/18Commercial Income (£M)10.212.914.615.516.2Note – the figures are as per HSE’s Annual Report and Accounts and represent income from the Health and Safety Laboratory (HSL) external customers for 13/14 and 14/15, and commercial income from 15/16 onwards as defined in note 4 to the 16/17 ARA (15/16 restated). HSL operated as an in-house agency of HSE until it was integrated as a major part of HSE’s Science Division in April 2015.

Personal Independence Payment

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to her Departments withdrawal of appeals in the cases Secretary of State for Work and Pensions v AN & JM CPIP/1882/2015 and CPIP/1159/2016, whether her department has made an estimate of the number of claimants of personal independence payment daily living allowance 3 that have been underpaid in (a) England, (b) the North West, (c) Merseyside and (d) Wallasey constituency.

Sarah Newton: We have withdrawn appeals in the cases Secretary of State for Work and Pensions v AN & JM CPIP/1882/2015 and CPIP/1159/2016 to provide certainty to the claimants in question. The decision to withdraw from these appeals affects only the two claimants in the appeals, as outlined in the statement given by the Secretary of State, 4 June 2018, Official Report, Columns 29-30.

Carer's Allowance

Thelma Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made on the financial effect of the withdrawal of carer's allowance on carers at state-pension age.

Sarah Newton: It is a basic principle of the social security system that only one benefit at a time can be paid for the same purpose. Both Carer’s Allowance and State Pension are designed to provide a degree of replacement for income lost or foregone; Carer’s Allowance where the duties of caring for a severely disabled person prevent the prospect of full-time work and the earnings it would yield; and State Pension to provide a replacement income in retirement. The overlapping benefits rules, which prevent both benefits being paid, were established to reflect the general principle that flat-rate benefits designed to help with income maintenance e.g. Carer’s Allowance and State Pension, should not be added together and paid in full, even though a person may qualify for both. Where Carer’s Allowance cannot be paid, the person will keep underlying entitlement to the benefit, which means if they are on a low income, they may be entitled to any advantages arising from that, e.g. the additional amount for carers in Pension Credit, worth up to £36.00 a week and, in some cases, Housing Benefit.

Universal Credit

Ged Killen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the numbers of universal credit claimants who have attended a face-to-face interview in a job centre to remind them of or reset their universal credit online login details.

Alok Sharma: The information requested is not available. Passwords can be reset by claimants online. Interviews are only required if the claimant has forgotten all of their details, including their username and password, email address, and security questions.

Employment Support Allowance

Peter Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applicants for employment support allowance have had their payments stopped without notice in the last twelve months as a result of her Department becoming aware that it had been erroneously paying those claimants an appeal rate over an extended period.

Peter Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department plans to take provide financial support to employment support allowance applicants who have had their payments stopped without notice in the last twelve months as a result of her Department becoming aware that it had been erroneously paying those claimants an appeal rate over an extended period.

Sarah Newton: The Department identified a number of cases where an appeal outcome was outstanding and where it should not have been. The Department is working to ensure that affected claimants are receiving their correct benefit entitlement. All affected claimants will be contacted by phone or by letter to advise them of what will be happening in their case.

Personal Independence Payment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Written Statement of 5 June 2018, on Personal Independence Payments, HCWS733, what the timetable is for the commencement of (a) a pilot scheme and (b) a full rollout of the proposed policy of video recording personal independence payment assessments.

Sarah Newton: As part of our commitment to improve the PIP assessment process we are exploring options to video record PIP face to face assessments. We are starting the test this summer, which will inform wider rollout decisions.

Department for Work and Pensions: ICT

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Written Statement of 5 June 2018, on Personal Independence Payments, HCWS733, what the timescale is for completion of a DWP-owned IT system.

Sarah Newton: The current term of the PIP assessment contracts ends in July 2019. It was announced on 6 June 2018 that the DWP would explore options to extend these contracts by approximately two years. Work is already progressing to develop a DWP owned IT capability which will be available to support future provision at that time.

Support for Mortgage Interest

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what  guidance her Department has issued to Serco on the number of times it should contact by phone a claimant of Support for Mortgage Interest on the offer of a loan after an unsuccessful initial attempt to contact that claimant.

Kit Malthouse: The Department’s contract with Serco requires that Serco make a total of five calls over a two week period to a claimant who has been referred to them to be provided with information on support for mortgage interest loans. Where none of these contacts results in an informed discussion with the claimant Serco write to the claimant advising they contact DWP and refer the case back to DWP. DWP then write to the claimant to confirm their phone number and availability for an informed discussion. The case is then referred back to Serco for five further Informed Discussion attempts.

Support for Mortgage Interest

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the timeframe is for her Department to terminate a claim for Support for Mortgage Interest in cases where Serco has been unsuccessful in contacting a claimant by phone about the offer of a loan.

Kit Malthouse: Where Serco has been unsuccessful in contacting a Support for Mortgage interest benefit recipient they will write to the claimant advising they contact DWP and return the case to DWP. DWP will then write to the claimant to confirm their phone number and availability for informed discussion, they will issue a reminder if required. The claimant can continue to receive SMI as a benefit for up to 10 weeks following the date the loan offer is made or from when DWP write to them requesting information, to give them time to decide whether to accept the offer and for the loan payments to be put in place. Where an existing claimant lacks mental capacity to make decisions about entering into the loan agreement, the regulations enable SMI benefit to continue until an appropriate person is appointed to act on the claimant’s behalf.

Personal Independence Payment

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 4 June 2018 to Question 146881 on Personal Independence Payment, how many personal independence payment assessment reports (a) have included consideration of informal observations and (b) used those informal observations to come to a decision in each year for which information is available.

Sarah Newton: The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Social Security Benefits

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of collecting medical evidence from every applicant at the application stage of (a) personal independence payments and (b) employment support allowance.

Sarah Newton: The Government is exploring a number of options to improve the provision of medical evidence for Personal Independence Payments and Employment and Support Allowance as set out in its response to recommendation 5 of the Work & Pensions Select Committee. https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmworpen/986/98602.htm

Food Banks

Ged Killen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 21 May 2018 to Question 905453 on Food Banks, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of commissioning independent research to analyse the factors which lead to food bank use.

Kit Malthouse: The Department for Work and Pensions is currently reviewing research carried out by several organisations including the Trussell Trust, to add to our understanding of food bank use, and will consider requirements to add to its evidence base.

Social Security Benefits: British Nationals Abroad

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people receive who live abroad receive monthly benefits from the public purse; and what steps are being taken to ensure that people who live abroad for more than nine months in each year receive only those benefits to which they are entitled.

Alok Sharma: Information on benefit caseload and expenditure for claimants living abroad by each DWP administered benefit can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/benefit-expenditure-and-caseload-tables-2018The Department for Work and Pensions exchanges data with other countries to help ensure that payments made to people who live abroad are those to which they are entitled. DWP staff are trained to spot fraudulent documents and refer any suspicions to relevant parties.

Universal Credit: Disqualification

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether there is a time limit within which a sanction must be applied under universal credit after a claimant has failed to comply with a condition of their claim.

Alok Sharma: Legislation does not specify a time limit within which a sanction should be considered; however, administrative law principles require decisions to be made and applied within a reasonable period of time. The time taken to make the decision will depend on the volume and complexity of cases. The Department aims to make sanctions decisions as soon as possible in cases where claimants may not have complied with a condition of their claim.

Home Office

Immigration

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules (HC 194) of 2012-13, what plans the Government has to undertake a review of the Rules and publish a report.

Caroline Nokes: The Immigration Rules are under continuous review and we make changes regularly to ensure they continue to work appropriately in the national interest.

Defence Fire and Rescue Service

Gareth Snell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Defence on the effect on local authority Fire and Rescue services of the Ministry of Defence's proposals to contract-out the Defence Fire and Rescue Service.

Mr Nick Hurd: There have been no discussions between the Secretary of State for the Home Department and the Secretary of State for Defence on the effect on local authority fire and rescue services of the Ministry of Defence's proposal to contract out the Defence and Fire and Rescue Service.

Educational Testing Service

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the contribution of the Minister for Immigration of 4 June, Official Report, column 22, what progress has been made on his Department's review of the cases of people whose leave to remain was curtailed in response to information received from Educational Testing Service but remain in the UK.

Caroline Nokes: We are continuing to review the position for those who remain in the UK who have live litigation. As a result of the Immigration Act 2014 there is now only a right of appeal where claims raising asylum, humanitarian protection or human rights claims are refused.Similar provisions are set out in the Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2016. Some of those refused as a result of an allegation of ETS fraud have made a Human Rights claim and will have an in country right of appeal if refused (unless the claim is clearly unfounded).

Immigration

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the statement in his letter to the Chair of the Home Affairs Committee dated 25 May 2018 that applications potentially falling for refusal under the character and conduct provisions of paragraph 322(5) have been put on hold, if he will grant the people affected by that review the right to work pending the outcome of that review; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Nokes: Individuals who applied before their existing leave to remain expired have their current status protected while their applications are on hold. This includes their right to work.For those cases which have already been refused, those who still have existing leave to remain continue to have the right to work. If the review identifies that any of these refusal decisions were incorrect, we will then consider what further steps are needed.

Members: Correspondence

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he plans to reply to the letters of 1 and 21 May 2018 from the right hon. Member for Preseli Pembrokeshire on the case of Melissa Siso Rodrigues.

Caroline Nokes: The correspondence from the hon. Member dated 1 May and 21 May 2018 was responded to by the UKVI MP Account Management Team as agreed with his office.In view of the hon. Member’s question, I will write to him separately about this case.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department plans to allocate additional resources to (a) staff hiring and (b) procuring IT resources in the next three financial years to meet demand for moving EU citizens to settled status.

Caroline Nokes: Work is well underway to build the EU Exit Settlement Scheme to grant status to the 3.5 million EU citizens and their family members resident in the UK. This will be a new streamlined, user-friendly digital application process which will draw on existing government data and processes to minimise the administrative burden on individuals. In preparation for launch at the end of the year, we are recruiting additional staff to bring existing UKVI European Casework staffing levels to circa 1,500.Operational units across the Home Office actively monitor workflows to ensure sufficient resources are in place to meet demand. Any resultant changes to resource requirements will be factored into strategic planning.We will be providing further detail on the scheme in due course.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Home Office plans write to all non-UK EU citizens resident in the UK since before 1 January 1973 to confirm that they hold settled status in the UK.

Caroline Nokes: We have launched a targeted communications campaign to maximise awareness and reassure EU citizens of our commitment to protect their rights and entitlements.This includes encouraging such citizens to apply under the EU settlement scheme when it opens and alerting those who may have previously acquired indefinite leave to remain, including those resident in the UK before 1973, to exchange it for the new settled status.

Members: Correspondence

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the Director General of UK Visas and Immigration plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for West Lancashire of 23 June 2017 in relation to a constituent of West Lancashire.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office can find no record of receiving the letter from the hon. Member dated 23 June 2017. The Home Office contacted the hon. Member’s office on the 7 June 2018.The Home Office will respond to this correspondence separately.

Asylum: LGBT People

Ged Killen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of LGBT people seeking asylum from persecution overseas were successful in their application; and whether he has any plans to review the guidelines of such applications.

Caroline Nokes: In November, the Home Office published experimental statistics on asylum claims on the basis of sexual orientation.These statistics relate to the number of asylum claims where sexual orientation was raised as a basis, or part of the basis, of the claim, and refer to claims made between 1 July 2015 and 31 March 2017. The data do not indicate whether the individual seeking asylum actually had a particular sexual orientation, whether this was the sole basis for the claim, or whether this had any bearing on the outcome of the claim.https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/asylum-claims-on-the-basis-of-sexual-orientationWe remain committed to improving the asylum process for those claiming asylum on the basis of their sexual or gender identity and decision-makers are provided with dedicated guidance on the management of such claims.We are developing a new instruction on Gender Identity and Expression that will replace both the current instructions on Gender Identity and on handling asylum claims where a Gender Recognition Certificate is presented. We expect to be able to publish this instruction later this summer.We are also committed to reviewing the asylum instruction on claims based on sexual orientation on a regular basis. We will progress this review in the near future.

Immigration: LGBT People

Ged Killen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government plans to replicate in legislation the opinion of European Court of Justice ruling C-673/16 on same sex spousal rights after the UK leaves the EU.

Caroline Nokes: The Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2016, which implement EU free movement law in the UK, already recognise same-sex marriages and unmarried partnerships. This will be replicated in the eligibility rules for the EU Exit Settlement Scheme for those EU citizens and their family members arriving before the end of the implementation period. Existing non-EU immigration rules also recognise same-sex marriages and unmarried partnerships.In terms of the post-Brexit immigration regime, we are considering the options for our future immigration system carefully. We are building a comprehensive picture of the needs and interests of all parts of the UK and intend to develop a system which works in the national interest. In doing so, we will provide for equal treatment of same-sex couples, as we do now and in line with our obligations under the Equalities Act 2010.

Shoplifting: Torfaen

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an assessment of the level of shop theft in Torfaen compared with the constituency average in the last year.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office collects recorded crime data for shoplifting from all police forces in England and Wales. These data are published at country, police force area (PFA), and community service partnership (CSP) level.For the latest year to December 2017, police recorded crime for shoplifting in the most relevant areas were:Wales: 20,352Gwent PFA: 3,994Torfaen CSP: 692

Refugees: Children

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he plans to make an assessment of the potential  (a) merits and (b) effect of allowing unaccompanied child refugees to sponsor a close relative to come to the UK.

Caroline Nokes: Our family reunion policy allows immediate pre-flight family members of those granted protection here to reunite with them. The Immigration Rules also provide for relatives with protection in the UK to sponsor children in serious and compelling circumstances and there is provision in the policy to grant visas outside the Rules in exceptional circumstances, which caters for family members who otherwise do not qualify under the Rules.However, there is currently no provision in the Rules for children with refugee status in the UK to sponsor family members to join them. This is a considered policy position to avoid creating additional motives for children to be encouraged, or even forced, to leave their family, and risk dangerous journeys hoping to sponsor relatives later. We believe the best interests of children are reflected in remaining with their families, claiming asylum in the first safe country they reach – that is the fastest route to safety – and relying on resettlement schemes to travel safely.We are listening carefully to calls to allow extended family members to qualify and are reviewing our approach to family reunion as part of the Government’s wider asylum and resettlement strategy. However, expanding the policy without careful thought could risk more people being put in harms’ way.

Members: Correspondence

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department,  when he plans to respond to the letter of 30 April 2018 from the hon. Member for Llanelli on his Department's policy on the relocation of Afghan Locally Employed Staff.

Caroline Nokes: I apologise for the delay in responding to the Honorable Member. I will reply in due course.The Home Secretary announced on 3 May that new Immigration Rules would be brought forward as soon as possible to ensure Afghan interpreters and their families have a route to permanent settlement. Applications will be free of charge after completing 5 years’ leave.Working with Other Government Departments, the Home Office will also look at what can be done to improve the process for Afghan interpreters to bring to the UK those family members who remain in Afghanistan.

UK Border Force: Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will publish the Northern Ireland Equality Commission's advice to the UK Border Force on the recruitment of border force staff in Northern Ireland.

Caroline Nokes: The Northern Ireland Equality Commission has made a public statement on some of the advice given to Border Force, this is available at https://www.equalityni.org/Footer-Links/News/Employers-Service-Providers/Equality-Commission-Comment-on-Border-Force-RecruiFurthermore in response to the answer to Question 140136 of 8 May 2018 the Minister of State for Immigration summarised the rest of the advice given.These pieces of correspondence and advice are not routinely published, there are currently no plans to do so.

UK Border Force: Northern Ireland

Sir Jeffrey M. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will place the advice given to his Department by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland in respect of (a) the recruitment of Border Force officers and assistant officers and (b) applications from former members of the armed forces in the Library.

Caroline Nokes: The Northern Ireland Equality Commission has made a public statement on some of the advice given to Border Force, this is available at https://www.equalityni.org/Footer-Links/News/Employers-Service-Providers/Equality-Commission-Comment-on-Border-Force-RecruiFurthermore in response to the answer to Question 140136 of 8 May 2018 the Minister of State for Immigration summarised the rest of the advice given.These pieces of correspondence and advice are not routinely published, there are currently no plans to do so.

Northern Ireland Office

Abortion: Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to her oral contribution of 5 June 2018, Official Report, column 220, what her policy is on reform of abortion law in Northern Ireland; and if she will make a statement.

Karen Bradley: Abortion is a devolved matter in Northern Ireland. I am aware of the many strongly held views across all sides of the debate on this extremely sensitive issue. My priority is to secure the restoration of devolved government in Northern Ireland, so that locally elected, democratically accountable politicians can consider changes to Northern Ireland’s abortion law, and the people of Northern Ireland can contribute to the discussions and debate.I refer the hon Member to the statement I made by way of an Urgent Question on Thursday 7 June.

Treasury

Private Finance Initiative

John McDonnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the news item on UK PFI and PPP equity offshoring and tax avoidance published by the European Services Strategy Unit, if his Department will make an assessment of the implications for his Department's policies of that Unit's findings that almost half of all private finance initiative projects are majority owned by nine offshore infrastructure funds.

Robert Jenrick: As is normal practice, the government does not comment on taxpayer-specific cases. UK resident PFI contractors, facilities management services and fund management companies, regardless of their shareholders’ registered jurisdiction, will be charged UK corporation tax on profits earned within the UK. The government is clear that everyone must pay their fair share, and has taken significant steps domestically and internationally to ensure companies pay the right amount of tax.

Private Finance Initiative

John McDonnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the report entitled PFI and PF2, published by the National Audit Office on 17 January 2018, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for his Department's policies of that report's findings that PF2 costs are around 40 per cent higher than similar projects financed by government borrowing; and if he will make a statement.

Robert Jenrick: The vast majority of PFI projects were signed under the last Labour government – 620, or 86% of all PFI projects in the UK. Since coming to office in 2010, this Government has reformed the approach so that now, PF2 contracts deliver better value for money for the taxpayer. We have also improved the VfM we get from existing PFI contracts, and this will deliver over £2 billion in efficiencies over the remaining life of the contracts. The Treasury Green Book is clear that, to compare the costs and benefits that occur at different times between different projects, a discount rate must be applied to the cashflows. This is standard practice in all economic appraisals as it provides a Net Present Cost for the different projects, which enables a proper comparison of the costs and benefits occurring at different times on a consistent basis. The NAO report’s finding that PF2 costs are around 40 per cent higher than similar projects financed by government borrowing is based on undiscounted cashflows and has not followed the Green Book guidance. It is not, therefore, an appropriate comparison.

Private Finance Initiative

John McDonnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, which private finance initiative contracts are being delivered by contractors that his Department deem to be high risk.

Robert Jenrick: The vast majority of PFI projects were signed under the last Labour government – 620, or 86% of all PFI projects in the UK. Since coming to office in 2010, this Government has reformed the approach so that now, PF2 contracts deliver better value for money for the taxpayer.We have improved the VfM we get from existing PFI contracts, and this will deliver over £2 billion in efficiencies over the remaining life of the contracts. In 2012 we also reformed PFI to improve its transparency, and reduce procurement times, through the new PF2 model.The Government continually monitors the financial health of all of its strategic suppliers, including those delivering PFI contracts.

Carillion: Insolvency

John McDonnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Forty-first report of the Public Accounts Committee, Government risk assessments relating to Carillion, published on 23 May 2018, HC 1045, when his Department first became aware of the Cabinet Office's responses to recommendations to give Carillion a high-risk rating two months before that company collapsed.

Robert Jenrick: The Cabinet Office leads on Strategic Supplier Risk Management, and undertakes regular assessments of suppliers. Following Carillion’s profits warning in July, the Treasury was part of the cross government working group, and were fully engaged in the contingency planning process.

Private Finance Initiative

John McDonnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how his Department monitors private finance initiative contracts, including (a) strategic risk management policy, (b) financial control and (c) performance management.

Robert Jenrick: The vast majority of PFI projects were signed under the last Labour government – 620, or 86% of all PFI projects in the UK. Since coming to office in 2010, this Government has reformed the approach so that now, PF2 contracts deliver better value for money for the taxpayer. We have also improved the VfM we get from existing PFI contracts, and this will deliver over £2 billion in efficiencies over the remaining life of the contracts. The performance of PFI and PF2 contracts is monitored by the procuring authority. The government has published a range of advice on managing PFI and PF2 contracts, covering areas such as operational savings, refinancing and termination. HM Treasury assesses and responds to fiscal and financial risks as part of its ongoing business activities.

High Rise Flats: Insulation

Luke Pollard: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will reduce the rate of VAT charged on work to reclad tower blocks resulting from the Grenfell Tower fire.

Luke Pollard: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the amount of VAT which will be accrued to the public purse from the £400m allocated by the Government to renew cladding on tower blocks that have failed fire safety tests.

Mel Stride: On 16 May the government announced that it will fully fund the removal and replacement of potentially dangerous ACM cladding on residential social housing buildings, which are over 18 metres tall and owned by social landlords. This commitment is estimated to cost £400 million. In the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy, the government also established a comprehensive building safety programme and made it clear that aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding on buildings over 18 meters which was not compliant with building regulations guidance should be remediated by the building owners. The government has provided £1m in financial support to help local authorities identify high-rise private residential buildings with unsafe cladding. This work will ensure that hazards in high rise residential buildings are addressed and the government continues to work closely with local authorities, building owners and leaseholder groups to establish what more can be done.

Regional Planning and Development: Nottinghamshire

Ben Bradley: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to support the development of regional infrastructure in Nottinghamshire.

Robert Jenrick: This government is committed to ensuring that every part of the country has a modern and efficient infrastructure. Access to Superfast Broadband in Nottinghamshire has risen from 65% to 98% since 2010. The current East Midlands rail ‎franchise has delivered over £13 million of investment, including additional services between Newark and Nottingham. £1.8 billion is being spent on road schemes across the Midlands network, including an upgrade to the M1 with vital junction improvements to increase capacity and reduce congestion for Nottingham. £5 million has also been awarded for the extensive repairs to the A38 and A617 Mansfield Ashfield Regeneration Route.

National Productivity Investment Fund

Luke Graham: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has plans to ring-fence funding allocated from National Productivity Investment Fund to the devolved administrations.

Elizabeth Truss: The National Productivity Investment Fund (NPIF) was established to provide £31 billion of additional capital spending to areas critical for improving productivity – transport, digital infrastructure, housing and R&D. Where responsibility for these policy areas sits with the devolved administrations, such as housing and roads, they have received increases in their capital budgets as a result of the application of the Barnett formula to changes in spending in England. The devolved administrations have full control over how they allocate this funding. The UK Government is also investing UK-wide in sectors where it has responsibility, including research and development funding, and investment in digital infrastructure.

Tax Avoidance

Hywel Williams: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect the introduction of the 2019 loan charge on people who used umbrella companies on the advice of professionals after the introduction IR35.

Hywel Williams: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of people in (a) Arfon constituency, (b) Wales, and (c) the UK who will be affected by the introduction of the 2019 loan charge.

Hywel Williams: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department undertook a consultation exercise on the effect on individuals of the introduction of the 2019 loan charge.

Hywel Williams: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department plans to measure the effect of the introduction of the 2019 loan charge on people affected by the charge.

Hywel Williams: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of applying the 2019 loan charge only to arrangements made after the Finance Act 2017 came into force.

Mel Stride: The 2019 loan charge is targeted at artificial tax avoidance schemes where earnings are paid in the form of non-repayable loans made by a third party - “disguised remuneration” (DR) schemes. DR schemes are clear examples of contrived tax avoidance. It is not normal, or indeed reasonable, to be paid in loans that are unlikely ever to be repaid. It is an individual’s responsibility to ensure they pay the right amount of tax and to understand the consequences of engaging in tax avoidance.It is unfair to ordinary taxpayers to let anybody benefit from contrived tax avoidance of this sort, and that is why this Government has taken action to ensure that everybody pays the taxes they owe. The announcement of the loan charge at Budget 2016 provided scheme users with a three-year period to repay their DR loans, or to agree a settlement with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) before the charge takes effect. 50,000 individuals are estimated to be affected by the introduction of the DR loan charge across the UK. It is estimated that less than 0.1% of the population of Wales will be affected. Information is not held at constituency level. The impact of the DR loan charge on these individuals was considered at Budget 2016, when the measure was first announced. ­HMRC consulted on the measure in August 2016. The latest tax information and impact note (TIIN) can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/disguised-remuneration-further-update/disguised-remuneration-further-update

VAT

Tom Brake: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the (a) cost of and (b) timetable for implementation of the infrastructure which will be required at UK borders to add VAT when the UK leaves the EU.

Mel Stride: The Government’s aim is to keep VAT processes as close as possible to what they are now. This will provide the best continuity and most certainty for businesses and individuals. HM Revenue and Customs is preparing for a range of outcomes, including appropriate collection methods and IT systems. Going forward it will be for the UK Government to decide what VAT rules we have, subject to the outcome of negotiations with the EU.

VAT

Tom Brake: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the annual costs are for the (a) systems, (b) physical infrastructure, and (c) staff for the processing of VAT for goods entering and leaving the UK from countries outside the EU.

Mel Stride: When goods enter the UK from outside the EU, import VAT is applied and collected along with customs duties as part of the general customs processes. HM Revenue and Customs' import VAT costs are not captured separately. Goods leaving the UK are generally zero-rated as exports.

Inheritance Tax

Royston Smith: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to review the thresholds on inheritance tax.

Mel Stride: Inheritance tax thresholds are rising thanks to the introduction of the residence threshold last year. This will continue to rise to give married couples a £1m threshold by 2020-21.

Treasury: Non-departmental Public Bodies

Rachel Reeves: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer,  how many (a) women and (b) men his Department has appointed to each of its non-Departmental Public Bodies in each of the last five years.

Robert Jenrick: HM Treasury has two non-departmental public bodies - the OBR and the Royal Mint Advisory Committee on the Design of Coins, Medals, Seals and Decorations (RMAC). In respect to the OBR, HM Treasury only appoints Office Holders. There have been four such appointments in the last 5 years – one woman and three men. Details can be accessed via this link: http://obr.uk/about-the-obr/who-we-are/ HM Treasury has appointed six members to the RMAC in the last five years - three women and three men. Data on the gender diversity of new non-executive appointees to public boards for 2012 to 2015 is published on Gov.uk https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/diversity-in-public-appointments

Local Government Finance: Somerset

Catherine McKinnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 11 May 2018 to Question 143143, on Local Government Finance whether his Department defines Somerset County Council as being at risk.

Elizabeth Truss: The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government is responsible for assessing the risks and challenges faced by local authorities.

Royal Bank of Scotland: Closures

Jamie Stone: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department plans to evaluate the effectiveness of the RBS mobile banking service as a result of the closure of RBS branches; and if he will make a statement.

John Glen: The Treasury does not make assessments of branch closures, or alternative methods of banking, as these are commercial matters for banks. However, Government believes it is important the impact of branch closures on communities must be understood, considered and mitigated where possible. The Government supports the industry’s Access to Banking Standard which commits banks to ensure personal and business customers are better informed about branch closures and the reasons for them closing. It also helps customers to understand the options they have locally to continue to access banking services, including specialist assistance for customers who need more help. The Access to Banking Standard is monitored and enforced by the independent Lending Standards Board. Government also considers it important that all customers, wherever they live and especially those who are vulnerable, can still access over the counter services. That is why the Government supports the Post Office’s Banking Framework Agreement, which enables 99% of banks’ personal and 95% of banks’ business customers to withdraw cash, deposit cash and cheques, and make balance enquiries at a Post Office counter via its network of 11,600 branches. The Government is committed to ensuring that communities across the UK are fully aware of the important services that remain available to them at their local Post Office, even if their bank branch is closed. The Post Office and UK Finance have committed to work together to raise public awareness of the banking services available at the Post Office for individuals and SMEs, which the Government welcomes.

Revenue and Customs: Dundee

Chris Law: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the expiry date is of HMRC's lease on Sidlaw House in Dundee.

Mel Stride: The expiry date for HMRC’s lease on Sidlaw House, Dundee is the 28th June 2027.

Revenue and Customs: Pay

Chris Law: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the oral answer of the Prime Minister of 2 May 2018, Official Report, column 312, whether HMRC is able to offer a 2018 pay award to its staff in excess of 1 per cent without ministerial approval.

Mel Stride: Pay for civil servants is delegated to government departments, within a framework of financial and other parameters. These parameters are agreed by Cabinet Office and HM Treasury Ministers each year, which are set out in the Civil Service pay guidance. All government departments are required to submit their pay remit business case to their Secretary of State irrespective of the value of the pay award. As HMRC does not have a Secretary of State, they are required to seek approval from HM Treasury ministers for all annual pay awards.

Revenue and Customs: Pay

Chris Law: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average monthly salary, net of tax, National Insurance and Superannuation contributions, is of an Officer grade member of staff working full time in HMRC.

Mel Stride: The gross and net monthly income for a full time Officer paid £25,323 per annum, on the 2017 National pay range of £23,836 - £26,810 as at 31 May 2018 would have been: Gross Income£2110.33Less National Insurance£169.00Income Tax£201.40Employee Pension Contribution£115.01 @ 5.45%Net Income£1,624.92

Revenue and Customs: Pay

Chris Law: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average monthly salary, net of tax, National Insurance and Superannuation contributions, was of an Officer grade member of staff who worked full time in HMRC in 2010.

Mel Stride: The gross and net monthly income for a full time Officer paid £24,066 per annum on the 2010 National pay range of £22,669 - £26,227 as at 31 August 2010 would have been: Gross Income£2005.50Less National Insurance£142.89Income Tax£287.00Employee Pension Contribution£30.00Net Income£1,545.53

Foreign Companies: Russia

Ian Austin: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if the Government will review the regulations relating to the admission of Russian companies to the London Stock Exchange as a result of plans by that exchange to suspend the trading of shares in EN+ Group.

Ian Austin: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what powers his Department possesses to prevent the trading of certain shares on the London Stock Exchange on grounds of national security.

Ian Austin: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Government plans to take action in respect of the listing of Russian state-owned energy company Rosneft on the London Stock Exchange; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Austin: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if the Government will review the regulations governing the admission of Russian companies to the London Stock Exchange and thereby close the loophole in the sanctions regime that allowed companies such as EN+ to float on that stock exchange.

Ian Austin: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans the Government has to address the listing of Russian state-owned energy company Rosneft on the London Stock Exchange and thereby close the loophole in the sanctions regime that allowed companies such as EN+ to float on that stock exchange.

John Glen: The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is the competent authority for listings. For listed companies, the UK Listing Authority (a division of the FCA) monitors and enforces compliance with the Listing Rules. The decision as to whether to prevent the trading of certain shares on the London Stock Exchange rests with the FCA and London Stock Exchange. The FCA has no power to refuse a listing for reasons of security or national interests. Under the applicable legislation, the Treasury has no power to intervene to block a flotation on national security grounds. The Government operates a rule of law based system whereby sanctions can only be applied when clear criteria are met. Any additional legislation on listings on the grounds of national security would need to demonstrably add value to the Government’s existing powers.

Rosneft

Ian Austin: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Government plans to take under the provisions of the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018 in respect of the listing of shares in the Russian state-owned energy company Rosneft on the London Stock Exchange.

John Glen: Council Regulation (EU) 833/2014 implements measures aimed at limiting investment in 11 Russian entities with a view to increasing the costs of Russia's actions to undermine Ukraine's territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence. Rosneft is captured by this Regulation, but this does not stop the London Stock Exchange allowing them to be listed. As we will be bound by EU sanctions until we leave the EU, if Rosneft can be listed on the London Stock Exchange according to the EU Council Regulation, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is under no obligation to stop them from being listed. Until the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act is commenced, we will continue to impose sanctions in alignment with EU partners. The UK complies with EU sanctions, which include economic restrictions on Rosneft under the Economic Sanctions linked to the full implementation of the Minsk Agreements.

Bank Services

Anneliese Dodds: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people were invited to sign up for help to save accounts in (a) January, (b) February, (c) March, (d) April and (e) May 2018.

Anneliese Dodds: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people signed up for help to save accounts in (a) January, (b) February, (c) March, (d) April and (e) May 2018.

John Glen: The table below shows the number of Help to Save accounts which have been signed up to each month since January 2018. Numbers for May 2018 will not be finalised until the middle of June, and so cannot be provided.Number of people signing up to Help to Save Accounts Since January 2018 (1)  Each monthCumulatively January 20181010 February 20181,5401,550 March 20184,7806,330 April 201810,80017,120 (1) Numbers are represented in single units, so there were 10 people signed up to Help to Save in January, rising to seventeen thousand, one hundred and twenty cumulatively by the end of April. The figures are rounded to the nearest ten. We do not have estimates available on the number of people invited to sign up for a Help to Save account. Customers are being invited to join the trial through the points of contact that tax credits and Universal Credit customers already have with Government, including the HMRC mobile app and Personal Tax Accounts. Once they have been invited, customers are able to share the information they have received about the scheme. We cannot track the number of people who might have entered the scheme through such a referral.

Revenue and Customs: Standards

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what performance indicators HMRC has in respect of its customer service.

Mel Stride: The HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) single departmental plan lays out its objectives and how it will achieve them. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hm-revenue-and-customs-single-departmental-plan/single-departmental-plan Furthermore, its detailed customer service performance indicators are published monthly on the GOV.UK website:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-monthly-performance-reportsThese monthly reports shows how HMRC has done against its key customer service performance objectives.

Customs Unions

Tom Watson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he  has made of the number of customs brokers that would be required in the event that the UK leaves the EU (a) without a deal, (b) with a new customs partnership and (c) with a maximum facilitation agreement.

Mel Stride: The government recognises the importance of customs brokers in supporting business through the importing and exporting process. Future customs arrangements will depend on the outcome of the negotiations. In some scenarios, following the UK’s exit from the EU, we expect that there would need to be an increase in capacity in the customs broker sector to meet business needs. We are considering capacity and capability requirements for future customs arrangements as part of our EU exit planning.

Customs Unions

Tom Watson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on (a) the economy and (b) revenue to the public purse of not recruiting an adequate number of customs brokers in the event that the UK leaves the EU (i) without a deal (ii) with a new customs partnership and (iii) with a maximum facilitation agreement.

Mel Stride: The government recognises the importance of customs brokers in supporting business through the importing and exporting process. Future customs arrangements will depend on the outcome of the negotiations. In some scenarios, following the UK’s exit from the EU, we expect that there would need to be an increase in capacity in the customs broker sector to meet business needs. We are considering capacity and capability requirements for future customs arrangements as part of our EU exit planning.

Motor Vehicles: Hydrogen

Andrew Selous: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has plans to include hydrogen refuelling infrastructure in the Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund in the future.

Mary Creagh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason hydrogen refuelling infrastructure has not been included in the Charging Investment Infrastructure Fund.

Robert Jenrick: The purpose of the Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund is to catalyse private sector investment into the electric vehicle chargepoint network. Electric vehicle infrastructure is at a different stage of market development to hydrogen and currently has sufficient viable commercial propositions which is suitable for investments of this type.The government is committed to introducing appropriately targeted interventions in hydrogen to support its growth as a transport fuel in the UK. The government has allocated £30m funding to increase the uptake of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and roll out more cutting edge infrastructure – part of this funding has now been awarded to a successful consortium bid which will see additional hydrogen refuelling stations being built as well as upgrades to existing refuelling infrastructure. In addition, government funding has supported the opening of the UK’s first integrated forecourt hydrogen refuelling station at the Shell Beaconsfield site, making it the first location in the country selling hydrogen fuel as well as petrol and diesel.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Music: Licensed Premises

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 25 April 2018 to Question 136076, how many live music venues have closed in each year since 2010.

Margot James: This data is not collected by DCMS. We continue working with industry and Whitehall colleagues on a range of issues affecting the live music industry, including announcing last year that the Agent of Change principle will now be included in the National Planning Policy Framework, helping to protect music venues when new housing is built.

Pharmacy and Primary Health Care: Data Protection

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, for what reasons independent community pharmacies and other  primary healthcare providers are designated as a public authority for the purpose of General Data Protection Regulation.

Margot James: As primary healthcare providers and independent community pharmacies may be handling sensitive data about people's health, it is right that they should be subject to the same requirements as other public authorities. This includes appointing a data protection officer to inform and advise the organisation on compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation, such as the need to ensure that personal data is processed fairly and lawfully and held securely. A group of public authorities may appoint a single data protection officer, if that would be more appropriate to their size and organisational structure, as long as that person were easily accessible from each organisation.

Broadband: Consumers

Brendan O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether his Department has plans to appoint a broadband consumer champion.

Margot James: The interests of telecommunications consumers are currently championed by Ofcom’s independent advisory body, the Communications Consumer Panel (CCP). As part of the government’s consumer green paper, published in April 2018, the government is seeking views on whether the current consumer advocacy arrangements need to change, and if so, in what way.

Arts and Culture: Finance

Edward Miliband: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding from the public purse has been allocated for arts and culture in Doncaster (a) in total, (b) per head of the local population and (c) per head in England for the latest year for which figures are available.

Michael Ellis: The government is committed to ensuring that people from across the country have access to our world class art and culture, and Arts Council England has worked hard in recent years to ensure investment outside London has increased as a percentage and in cash terms. In 2017/18, the latest year for which figure are available, Arts Council England invested £1,383,998 in Doncaster (Local Authority region); the data below outlines the funding allocated per head for Doncaster and England for the same year. The £ per head figure may not provide a true reflection of the benefits that Doncaster will receive from cultural investment across England, as many arts organisations take their work across the country impacting regions outside the area that they are based in.

Heritage Lottery Fund

Edward Miliband: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what the per capita heritage lottery funding was in (a) Doncaster and (b) England in the last year for which data are available.

Michael Ellis: The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has awarded £270,000 to projects in Doncaster in the last financial year (£0.88 per capita). Since the organisation’s inception, it has awarded nearly £17m of grants to Doncaster, which amounts to £54.87 per capita. The total grants awarded in England in the last financial year totalled £4.07 per capita. HLF always looks to address issues around lower levels of funding, and Doncaster has been a priority development area for HLF since 2003. Under this approach, where HLF works closely with heritage and other organisations locally to increase capacity and levels of applications, it has supported 104 projects since 2003 and 129 projects since 1994. It also played a key role in the successful joint funding scheme in 2015 ‘Dosh for Donny’ alongside other National Lottery distributors, which resulted in £372,000 being awarded to the area in that financial year and an increase in small grant awards.

National Lottery

Edward Miliband: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what the per capita big lottery fund resource spending was in (a) in Doncaster and (b) England in the last year for which data are available.

Tracey Crouch: For the financial year 2017/18 the number of awards, current value of awards, and per capita value of awards made by the Big Lottery Fund in (a) Doncaster and (b) England were as follows:  AwardsCurrent ValuePopulationPer CapitaEngland 8,412£330,994,31055,268,067£5.99Doncaster 72£2,680,923307,374£8.72  The value awarded within year may not be equal to spend within year as some payments are made after the date of award, and some awards cover a period of several years.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to promote participation of National Citizen Service in Northern Ireland.

Tracey Crouch: NCS is a devolved programme. We granted funding to deliver an NCS pilot in Northern Ireland in 2012 and NCS programmes have run every year since then, providing places to over 2000 young people in Northern Ireland.

Social Media: Hate Crime

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he plans to include a new statutory requirement on social media companies to stop the spread of online hate speech in the forthcoming internet safety strategy white paper.

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will include penalties for social media companies that fail to remove hate speech flagged by users in the forthcoming internet safety strategy white paper.

Margot James: The Government response to the Internet Safety Strategy Green paper announced that DCMS and Home Office will jointly work on a White Paper. The White Paper will set out our proposals for future legislation that will cover the full range of online harms, including both harmful and illegal content. We expect the White Paper to be published later this year.

Data Protection: EU Law

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Government plans to diverge from EU standards for data protection after the end of the transition period.

Margot James: The EU and the UK both have an ambition to achieve high data protection protection standards globally. The UK demonstrated this commitment with the successful passage of the new Data Protection Act 2018, which implements and transposes the GDPR and Law Enforcement Directive respectively in UK law.  The Act received Royal Assent on 23 May. It further strengthens UK data protection standards, ensuring they are fit for the modern age, and implements in full the EU’s new data protection framework in UK domestic law. Our data protection laws will therefore be fully aligned with the EU’s at our point of exit.

Arts

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment the Government has made of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on the creative industries.

Margot James: The Creative Industries are one of the UK’s greatest success stories, growing twice as fast as the economy as a whole, contributing £92bn to the economy and accounting for two million jobs.  The Government continues to work closely with stakeholders from across the Creative Industries to fully understand the potential impacts and opportunities presented by our decision to leave the EU.  These sectors play an important role in showing the world the very best of Britain, strengthening global relationships and demonstrating that we are open for business.

Elections

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made on the effect of fake news disseminated on the internet on voting in the UK; and what steps he is taking to tackle fake news in relation to elections.

Margot James: The first duty of Government is to safeguard the nation, and we take the security and integrity of our democratic processes very seriously. To date, we have not seen evidence of successful interference in UK democratic processes. However we are not complacent. DCMS is working across Government to develop a strategy to tackle disinformation, which is a key pillar of the Digital Charter.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of the recommendation by the National Youth Agency for the creation of a youth covenant as part of the civil society strategy.

Tracey Crouch: The department is aware of the National Youth Agency’s proposal for a ‘youth covenant’. We will assess its potential merits alongside recommendations made by organisations and young people as part of the Civil Society Strategy consultation.

Youth Services: Capital Investment

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Treasury on making investment in youth services a priority in future spending reviews.

Tracey Crouch: Local authorities are responsible for allocating funding to youth services in line with local need. The Government has made over £200bn available to local authorities to spend on local services over this Spending Review and will hold discussions with the Treasury on the full range of DCMS responsibilities ahead of future spending reviews.We recognise the importance of local youth services and the Government is committed to making sure young people have opportunities to develop their skills and participate in their communities. The Office for Civil Society (OCS), now based in DCMS, has spent over £667m on youth programmes and supporting youth service delivery between 2014/15 and 2017/18 - with £190m of that being spent in 2017/18.

Young People

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport,  whether his Department has discussed with the (a) Cabinet Office, (b) Department for Education, (c) Department for Exiting the European Union, (d) Department for International Development, (e) Department for Transport, (f) Department for Work and Pensions, (g) Department for Work and Pensions, (h) Department of Health and Social Care, (i) Home Office, (j) Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and (k) Ministry of Justice the implementation of cross-departmental youth policy since July 2016.

Tracey Crouch: Ministers and officials across government have regular discussions with their Cabinet counterparts on a range of issues. DCMS regularly consults with other government departments on policy areas affecting young people, including on the Civil Society Strategy, to ensure a joined-up approach to policy making.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Non-departmental Public Bodies

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many (a) women and (b) men his Department has appointed to each of his Department's non-Departmental Public Bodies in each of the last five years.

Margot James: The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is responsible for the appointment of the Chairs and Trustees to the boards of 42 Arm’s Length Bodies. In the past 5 years, the department made 307 new appointments, of which 161 (52%) were male and 135 (44%) were female. Gender information for 11 (4%) new appointments was not declared by appointed candidates. YearTotal number of new appointments.Total number of male appointments.Total number of female appointments.Total number of undeclared appointments.2013 - 201450 (100%)28 (56%)21 (42%)1 (2%)2014 - 201546 (100%)22 (48%)22 (48%)2 (4%)2015 - 201672 (100%)41 (57%)25 (35%)6 (8%)2016 - 201758 (100%)29 (50%)29 (50%)0 (0%)2017- 201866 (100%)33 (50%)31 (47%)2 (3%)2018 - 4 June 201815 (100%)8 (53%)7 (47%)0 (0%)

Museums and Galleries

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding per capita his Department allocated to museums in each (a) region and (b) local authority area in the last financial year.

Michael Ellis: A number of DCMS-sponsored museums have sites in different local authorities/regions but we do not have details of how the funding is allocated between sites. The national museums have partnerships with many regional and local museums and tour objects from their collections nationally and internationally. As arm’s length bodies, Arts Council England and the Heritage Lottery Fund allocate money to museums on behalf of the Department.The Mendoza Review, published in November 2017, provides some details of how ACE, HLF and Local Authority funding was split between regions between 2011/12 - 2014/15. The Review also shows that in 2016/17, the last year for which information is available, there was a total of £839m public funding in England for all museums, giving a per capita figure of £15.18.

Football: Safety

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what meetings (a) he and (b) Ministers of his Department plan to hold and with whom on the review of the ban on standing areas in the Premier League and Championship.

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, which supporters' trusts (a) he and (b) Ministers of his Department plan to meet on the review of the ban on standing areas in the Premier League and Championship.

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, which football clubs (a) he and (b) Ministers of his Department plan to meet on the review of the ban on standing areas in the Premier League and Championship.

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, which football authorities (a) he and (b) Ministers of his Department plan to meet on the review of the ban on standing areas in the Premier League and Championship.

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what the timeline his Department plans for the review into safe standing policy in the Premier League and Championship.

Tracey Crouch: An announcement will be made shortly.

Football Association

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when (a) he and (b) Ministers of his Department last met the Football Association to discuss safe standing at football grounds.

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department last met with representatives of a Premier League football club to discuss safe standing.

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department last met with representatives of a Championship football club to discuss safe standing; and what issues were discussed at that meeting.

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department, last met with representatives of an English Football League club to discuss safe standing; and what issues were discussed at that meeting.

Tracey Crouch: An announcement will be made shortly.

Football: Safety

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether (a) he and (b) Ministers of his Department have received correspondence from Owen Riches on safe standing in football grounds; and whether they have met with Owen Richards to discuss that matter.

Tracey Crouch: I am grateful to all the football supporters from across the country who responded to Mr Riches’ petition. We have received and replied to correspondence from Mr Riches. An announcement on safe standing will be made shortly.

Celtic Football Club

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department, last visited Celtic Football Club to view the railed seating trial; and what issues were discussed during that visit.

Tracey Crouch: The Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA) is the regulatory body responsible for overseeing and advising on safety at sports grounds. DCMS officials together with those from the SGSA have visited Celtic Park to view the rail seating in operation. The SGSA has produced a technical report on the Installation of Dual Purpose Seating and Standing Area at Celtic Park, Glasgow, following its introduction at that ground.

Tottenham Hotspur Supporters' Trust

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when (a) he and (b) Ministers of his Department last met Tottenham Hotspur Supporters' Trust to discuss safe standing; and what issues were discussed at that meeting.

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department last met West Bromich Albion Supporters Club to discuss safe standing; and what issues were discussed at that meeting.

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department, last met a Safety Advisory Group to discuss safe standing; and what the topics were that were discussed at that meeting.

Tracey Crouch: Ministers meet regularly with representative supporter bodies to discuss a wide range of issues including the Government’s all-seater policy. The Sports Grounds Safety Authority is the regulatory body responsible for overseeing and advising on safety at sports grounds, and meets with Safety Advisory Groups when necessary.

English Football League

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department last met the English Football League; and what issues were discussed at that meeting.

Tracey Crouch: I regularly meet with senior representatives of the English Football League to discuss a wide range of issues.

Football Association Premier League

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, on what dates (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department last met with representatives of the Premier League; and what the topics of discussion were discussed at those meetings.

Tracey Crouch: I regularly meet with senior representatives of the Premier League to discuss a wide range of issues.

Football: Safety

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what correspondence his Department has had with the Sports Ground Safety Authority on safe standing at football grounds.

Tracey Crouch: Spectator safety at sports grounds remains a priority for Government. The Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA) is the regulatory body responsible for overseeing and advising on safety at sports grounds. I and my officials meet with and receive advice from the SGSA as part of the normal process of policy development.

Football Association

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when (a) he and (b) Ministers of his Department last met representatives of the Football Association; and what issues were discussed at that meeting.

Tracey Crouch: I regularly meet with senior representatives of the Football Association to discuss a wide range of issues.

Bank Services

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the press release, Dormant Assets Scheme bolstered by industry leaders, of 3 June 2018, how much and what proportion of the money reclaimed by the scheme has been used to fund financial inclusion; and how many people have benefited from that work.

Tracey Crouch: In England, all funding released from dormant assets so far has been put towards social investment initiatives by Big Society Capital. However, in January 2018 the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport committed to use £55 million from new tranches of dormant asset funding on financial inclusion in England. This money will be put towards increasing the use of fair, affordable and appropriate financial products and services. Following an ongoing engagement exercise, Ministers are expected to announce further details on how this will be used in summer 2018.

Voluntary Work

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government is taking to promote volunteering in local communities.

Tracey Crouch: This Parliament, the Office for Civil Society has already committed £2.7 million to the Connected Communities Innovation Fund, to support people and places across the country to thrive through the power of volunteering. We are increasing the number of people trained in Community Organising to 10,000 by 2020 and investing £4.5m in the Place Based Social Action Fund in partnership with Big Lottery Fund to support partnerships of local residents, civil society organisations, service providers and local authorities in 20 areas to come together to address local priorities through social action. Over 400,000 young people have participated in National Citizen Service, and the NCS Trust estimates that since 2013 nearly 7 million hours of volunteering have been donated to local communities.

Sportsgrounds: Safety

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what representations (a) he and  (b) Ministers in his Department have received from (i) football clubs and (ii) local safety authorities on safe standing.

Tracey Crouch: Representations have been received from the following football clubs about the possible introduction of certain types of accommodation which could facilitate standing at parts of their respective grounds: Bristol City, Peterborough United, Grimsby Town, Shrewsbury Town and West Bromwich Albion. Representations about the all-seater policy have also been received from Southampton City Council. The Sports Grounds Safety Authority is the regulatory body responsible for overseeing and advising on safety at sports grounds. The SGSA discusses a wide range of issues with local safety authorities in the course of normal business.

Football: Safety

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what the timetable is for the Government's review of the policy on banning all standing areas in the Premier League and Championship.

Tracey Crouch: An announcement will be made shortly.

Spirit of Shankly

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will meet the Spirit of Shankly supporters group to discuss safe standing.

Tracey Crouch: We have noted the extensive consultation on a return to standing in football in England and Wales that has been conducted by the Spirit of Shankly supporters group. Any review to the existing all-seater policy would include conducting a thorough and robust analysis of safety at football stadiums and consultation with a full range of football stakeholders as well as clubs and safety experts, and other interested parties.

Shrewsbury Town Football Club

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when (a) he and (b) Ministers of his Department last met representatives of Shrewsbury Town FC to discuss safe standing; and what issues were discussed at that meeting.

Tracey Crouch: I have not met representatives from Shrewsbury Town FC to discuss standing at football matches, although I have had discussions with the hon member from Shrewsbury and had a pleasant and constructive email exchange with the club. An announcement on safe standing will be made shortly.

National Security Communications Unit

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 12 February 2018 to Question 126982, what meetings or discussions his Department has had with the National Security Communications Unit to date.

Margot James: Officials from the department have regular meetings and discussions with the communications team from the Cabinet Office's National Security Secretariat.

Voluntary Work: EU Nationals

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent estimate he has made of the number of workers in the voluntary sector from non-UK EU countries.

Tracey Crouch: Government has worked closely with the voluntary sector to assess the impact of leaving the EU, including how the sector’s workforce may be affected. The National Council for Voluntary Organisations estimate that, as of June 2016, 38,000 of the 853,000 paid employees in the voluntary sector were EU nationals (4%). Government has secured an agreement with the EU that will guarantee the status of EU nationals living in the EU, reached and set out in the Withdrawal Agreement text. This provides EU nationals, including those working in the voluntary sector, with certainty about their rights going forward.

Charities: EU Nationals

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union on the future of non-UK EU nationals working in the UK charity sector.

Tracey Crouch: Ministers and officials continue to work closely with counterparts in the Department for Exiting the European Union to discuss the charity sector’s views on Brexit, including the future of non-UK EU nationals working in the sector. Government has secured an agreement with the EU that will guarantee the status of EU nationals living in the EU, reached and set out in the Withdrawal Agreement text. This provides EU nationals, including those working in the charity sector, with certainty about their rights going forward.

Collective Spirit Multi-academy Trust

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what information his Department holds on (a) discussions (b) meetings and (c) correspondence between the Charity Commission and the founding Trustees of Collective Spirit multi-academy trust in relation to the preservation of (i) accounting records, (ii) meeting minutes, (iii) meeting agendas, (iv) papers and (v) reports.

Tracey Crouch: Academy Trusts are exempt charities, under Schedule 3 of the Charities Act 2011. The Secretary of State for Education is their Principal Regulator, responsible under section 26 of the Charities Act 2011, for promoting compliance by the trustees of those charities with charity law. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport holds no information relating to the founding Trustees of Collective Spirit multi-academy trust.

Broadcasting: Licensing

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what representations he has made to European authorities on maintaining broadcast licensing arrangements after the UK leaves the EU.

Margot James: The Government understand the importance of broadcast licensing arrangements for the sector. In the next few months the important issue for us must be focussing on negotiating the right future relationship, including for audiovisual services. We have continued to build on recent progress by publishing jointly with the EU the topics for discussion on the future framework, which includes digital and broadcasting. This topic list incorporates the economic and security partnerships outlined by the Prime Minister, as well as the institutional framework that will underpin them and other cross-cutting issues. We aim to continue to make progress over the coming months and are committed to working with the broadcasting sector to understand their needs and concerns.

Broadcasting: Employment

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on jobs in broadcasting where the broadcaster is licensed by Ofcom but mainly broadcasts outside the UK.

Margot James: I refer the honourable member to my answer to question 137578 answered on 2nd May.

Broadcasting: Employment

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what representations he has received on the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on jobs in broadcasting where the broadcaster is licensed by Ofcom but mainly broadcasts outside the UK.

Margot James: The government has engaged extensively with key broadcasting stakeholders on the impact of our exit from the EU. Over the past year, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has held a number of ministerial roundtables with broadcasters on the topic of exiting the EU and related issues. We have also liaised with financial teams from a variety of broadcasting groups regarding the implications of our exit from the EU for these companies.  We have also received COBA’s (Commercial Broadcasters Association) report on international broadcasters’ level of investment in the UK economy: http://www.coba.org.uk/coba_latest/report-up-to-1-billion-from-international-broadcasters-at-risk/  In addition, ministers and officials continue to hold meetings with individual stakeholders to understand their preferences and concerns.

Infant Foods

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what fines have been imposed on companies for promoting and marketing infant formula milk in each of the last eight years.

Margot James: Broadcast and non-broadcast advertising are governed by a system of co-regulation and self-regulation respectively, overseen by the Advertising Standards Authority. The Advertising Standards Authority does not impose fines, but it can refer those advertising or promoting products to other bodies for the further action, such as Trading Standards.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Electricity: Storage

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to introduce a modified generation license for storage to improve regulatory clarity.

Claire Perry: In the Smart Systems and Flexibility Plan, published in July last year, the Government confirmed that electricity storage is to be treated as a subset of generation for licensing and planning purposes. Ofgem, as the market regulator, is responsible for the licensing framework, and recently held a consultation on modifying the generation licence to include electricity storage. Ofgem will respond to this consultation shortly.

Energy: Prices

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many consumers eligible for the guarantee credit element of pension credit are customers of (a) energy suppliers with more than and (b) fewer than 250,000 customers.

Claire Perry: Of the roughly 1.4m Pension Credit Guaranteed Credit recipients, over 1.2m receive the Warm Home Discount (WHD) automatically on their energy bills as a result of being with a participating supplier and being named on the energy bill. Some of these pensioners are with suppliers with less than 250,000 customers but who have opted to participate in WHD voluntarily. We estimate that roughly 60,000 pension credit guarantee credit recipients who would be eligible under the scheme do not receive the rebate as a result of being with a non-participating supplier

Energy: Prices

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many consumers in social grade DE are customers of (a) energy suppliers with more than and (b) fewer than 250,000 customers.

Claire Perry: The Department does not hold this information.

Minimum Wage

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that employers comply with the national minimum wage.

Andrew Griffiths: The Government is committed to fair pay by ensuring workers are paid at least the National Minimum Wage (NMW). In 2017/18, HMRC secured a record volume of pay arrears (£15.6 million) for a record number of workers (201,800). In 2018/19, we have increased the enforcement budget for the NMW to £26.3 million. This additional resource will allow HMRC to proactively target those employers judged most at risk of not paying the minimum wage. As part of this, we will spend £1.48 million raising awareness of workers’ entitlement to the NMW. Employers found to be breaking the rules could face penalties of 200% of arrears owed to the worker to a maximum of £20,000 per worker. Anyone concerned they are being underpaid should call the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) Helpline (on 0300 123 1100) for free and confidential advice. HMRC respond to 100% of complaints made.

Pubs Code Adjudicator: Standards

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the mean average wait is for cases to  be (a) accepted for arbitration and (b) concluded by the Office of the Pub Code Adjudicator.

Richard Harrington: The Office of the Pubs Code Adjudicator (PCA) has calculated that the average wait from the date of a referral to a case being accepted for arbitration is six days. There is no typical time a case takes to complete, as the duration of each Pubs Code arbitration turns on the facts of the individual case, on the issues in dispute and factors such as whether the case is stayed at the agreement of the parties for negotiations and whether the parties request an oral hearing. The Office of the PCA has calculated that the average time from a case being accepted to being concluded, including the final costs stage, is seven months.

Shareholders: EU Law

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of replicating the EU Shareholder Rights Directive 2017 after the UK leaves the EU.

Andrew Griffiths: The UK is committed to transpose the 2017 Shareholders Rights Directive by June 2019. As agreed at the March 2018 European Council, existing arrangements between the UK and the EU will remain in place until 31 December 2020. During this time the UK will remain in step with the EU’s rules and regulations.

Company Accounts

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to include in corporate governance rules the requirement for companies to publish the end investor on company registers.

Andrew Griffiths: The Department has not carried out assessments to establish the potential merits of introducing new legislation that would require companies to publish a list of their end investors. The Companies Act requires companies to hold a register of their members and to make it available for inspection. This provides legal certainty on the persons entitled to exercise members’ rights, including when shares are held on behalf of others.

Company Law

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to improve the transparency of corporate governance structures.

Andrew Griffiths: The Government has laid The Companies (Miscellaneous Reporting) Regulations 2018 today to implement the new company reporting requirements announced in August 2017 following consultation on the Corporate Governance Reform green paper. The draft SI includes a requirement for large private companies and unlisted public limited companies to provide an annual statement about their corporate governance arrangements as part of their directors’ report. This statement will also need to be made available on a website maintained by or on behalf of the relevant company. Listed companies are already required to report on these matters.In addition, the Government has sought views, as part of the Insolvency and Corporate Governance consultation, on whether steps should be taken to improve governance and accountability within complex company group structures.

Companies: Pay

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to increase the involvement of company workforces in the development of remuneration packages.

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing legislative proposals to introduce mandatory worker representation on remuneration committees.

Andrew Griffiths: The Government’s response to the Corporate Governance Reform green paper consultation, published on 29 August 2017, included a request to the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) to consult on a new responsibility for remuneration committees, under the UK Corporate Governance Code, to oversee pay and incentives across their company and engage with the workforce to explain how executive pay aligns with wider pay policy. The Government’s response also asked the FRC to consult on a new Code principle establishing the importance of strengthening the employee voice at board level and a provision requiring companies to adopt, on a “comply or explain” basis, one of three robust employee engagement mechanisms, including the option of a director from the workforce. The FRC has consulted on these and other proposed changes to the Code and will be publishing a revised Code later this year. The Government’s green paper consultation received a number of responses on the specific issue of worker representation on remuneration committees. The Government’s response did not mandate worker representation on remuneration committees, but the proposed new requirements in the Code would ensure that employees’ views on pay and other issues help to inform the decision-making of remuneration committees and the company board more generally. Additionally, the Government will shortly be bringing forward to Parliament draft secondary legislation that will require companies to disclose and explain annually the ratio of CEO remuneration at quoted companies to the average remuneration of their UK employees.

Unpaid Work

Stewart Malcolm McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will take steps to ensure that people who have completed unpaid work trials are able to claim back payment for that work.

Andrew Griffiths: HMRC inspectors consider work trials on a case-by-case basis. Where they come to the view that the arrangements constitute “work” under existing National Minimum Wage regulations, they will require employers to repay any arrears and will impose fines.HMRC will respond to every complaint received from workers who are concerned about work trials.

Lighting: EU Action

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 4 June 2018 to Question 147822, on lighting: EU action, if he will publish the representations made in writing to the European Commission by his Department.

Claire Perry: I recognise the impact this draft legislation could have, for both the short and long-term future of theatres across the country and BEIS officials will continue to work with the sector and the European Commission to find a solution that works for everyone. As this proposal is still subject to ongoing negotiations, it would not be appropriate to publish written comments submitted to the European Commission. A final decision on the draft legislation is not expected until the end of the year.

Civil Nuclear Constabulary: Retirement

Patricia Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the timetable is for the completion of his Departments equality analysis commissioned in June 2017 of raising the retirement age for the Civil Nuclear Constabulary in line with the Public Service Pensions Act 2013.

Richard Harrington: Over the course of the last year I have had a number of productive meetings with the Civil Nuclear Police Authority, the Civil Nuclear Constabulary and the Civil Nuclear Police Federation on the issue of raising the CNC pension age. These have been of assistance in helping me exercise my statutory duty to understand the full equality impact of such an increase. I expect to be able to review the findings of the completed Equality Analysis during the summer. Subsequently I will discuss the way forward with interested parties.

Post Offices: North East

Dr Paul Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much and  what proportion of the £370m investment funding the Department has allocated to Post Office branches has been allocated to (a) the North East and (b) Thornaby Post Office.

Andrew Griffiths: The Government has provided nearly £2 billion in investment since 2010, and is providing a further £370 million between April 2018 and March 2021. The allocation of funding to specific branches and regions is an operational matter for Post Office Limited. However, branches all over the country have benefited, with the network at its most stable in decades. Over 7,500 branches have been modernised, there are nearly a million additional opening hours per month and over 4,400 branches open on Sunday.

Industry: Procurement

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he had made of the potential merits of mission-based procurement as part of the Government's Industrial Strategy.

Richard Harrington: A mission-based approach is central to our modern Industrial Strategy. The Industrial Strategy set out four Grand Challenges where Britain can lead the global technological revolution: in artificial intelligence and the data revolution; the global shift to clean growth; the ageing society; and the future of mobility. To further the Grand Challenges, we will take a mission-oriented approach to guide efforts; bringing industry, researchers and government together to solve practical problems and accelerate innovation.This will include using all government policy levers at our disposal, including in procurement, to achieve these ambitions.

Energy: Meters

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effect of delays in the roll-out of the smart meter programme on trends in the level of household energy bills.

Claire Perry: The rollout of smart meters is making good progress, with over 400,000 meters being installed every month and 11 million meters operating at the end of March 2018, helping consumers to save money and better understand their energy use. The most recent Smart Meter Cost-Benefit Analysis (2016) estimates across all households, energy bills are projected to be £300 million lower in 2020 than they would have been without smart meters.

Biotechnology: Regulation

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans he has undertake a review of the regulatory and standards framework for the biotechnology industry after the UK leaves the EU.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The UK has one of the strongest and most productive biotechnology sectors in the world. This Government is committed to ensuring a positive outcome for the sector, that enhances competitiveness and builds on the success that we are rightly proud of, as we exit the European Union. The EU (Withdrawal) Bill will ensure existing EU law continues to have effect in UK law after exit, providing businesses and stakeholders with maximum certainty as we leave the EU.

Energy: Regulation

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to regulate the activities of energy brokers in the commercial energy market.

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to protect small and medium enterprises from excessive energy charges by brokers in the energy market.

Claire Perry: The independent regulator, Ofgem has powers under the Business Protection from Misleading Marketing Regulations to investigate energy brokers and other organisations who are suspected of marketing energy products and services to business customers in a misleading way. Ofgem can seek undertakings to stop the misleading market activity or apply to the courts for an injunction to ensure they are complying with the legislation. Energy broker fees are recovered in various ways, for example they can form part of the rate businesses are charged for their energy tariff. So, it is important for business customers to know how much energy brokers charge before agreeing to use their services and report it when they are not treated fairly.

European Committee for Standardization

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to help institutions to (a) use Eurocodes and (b) remain a member of the European Committee for Standardization in the event that the UK leaves the EU.

Andrew Griffiths: The Structural Eurocodes will remain available as voluntary British Standards after the UK leaves the EU. The British Standards Institution (BSI) has made clear its preference to remain a member of the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN). We are working with BSI to ensure that the UK’s future relationship with the European Standards Organisations, including CEN, continues to support a productive, open and competitive business environment in the UK.

Independent Industrial Strategy Council

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the timetable is for setting up the Industrial Strategy Council.

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the planned first date of meeting is of the Industrial Strategy Council.

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the terms of reference are for the Industrial Strategy Council.

Richard Harrington: We are finalising the terms of reference and membership of the council, and further details will be set out in more detail shortly.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Fracking: Planning Permission

Lee Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many individual sites have submitted planning applications for exploratory drilling for shale gas since the lifting of the moratorium on hydraulic fracturing in 2012.

Lee Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many individual sites have received planning permission for exploratory drilling for shale gas since the lifting of the moratorium on hydraulic fracturing in 2012.

Dominic Raab: Since 2012, 10 planning applications for individual shale exploration proposals have been submitted. 5 of these applications have been granted planning permission.

Bed and Breakfast Accommodation: Young People

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many (a) 16 to 24 year old and (b) 25 to 30 year old homeless people have been temporarily housed in bed and breakfast accommodation by their local authority in each of the last five years.

Nigel Adams: Time spent in temporary accommodation means people are getting help and means people have a roof over their head.MHCLG publishes regular statistics on rough sleeping, statutory homelessness, temporary accommodation and homelessness prevention and relief. These are published at national, London and local authority level. The latest statistics can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/homelessness-statistics.The Department doesn’t currently hold data on the numbers of people who have been temporarily housed in bed and breakfast accommodation by age cohort.We are, however, overhauling the statutory homelessness data collection alongside the introduction of the Homelessness Reduction Act, and the data you have requested will be collected from April 2018.

Homelessness: Greater London

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to provide additional funding to local authorities in London to help respond to homelessness.

Nigel Adams: London boroughs receive funding to respond to homelessness from a number of funding streams including Flexible Homeless Support Grant, Homelessness Prevention funding and the Homelessness Prevention Programme.On 30 March we announced additional funding of £30 million to tackle rough sleeping in local authorities with the highest numbers of rough sleepers. Final allocations will be announced shortly.The Department engages regularly with London boroughs and the Greater London Authority on homelessness and this dialogue will continue as we work together to reduce homelessness.

Homelessness: Greater London

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of young people classified as homeless who were previously in care in (a) London and (b) Bethnal Green and Bow.

Nigel Adams: The Department does not publish data on the number of young people classified as homeless who were previously in care. We publish regular statistics relating to homelessness and rough sleeping on our website, broken down by local authority, which are available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/homelessness-statistics.

Social Services: Local Government Finance

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effect on the long-term financial viability of local authorities which use their reserves to fund adult social care.

Rishi Sunak: Local authorities are responsible for managing their budgets in line with local priorities. They are free to determine the level of reserves they hold and are accountable to their electorate for the decisions they make.Many local authorities have built up substantial reserves over recent years. It is right that they use them where necessary to protect high quality services for taxpayers.In addition, a further £150 million was made available for Adult Social Care in 2018-19, alongside the freedom to raise more money more quickly through the use of the adult social care precept.

Insulation: Testing

Karen Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the BBC Panorama programme of 21 May 2018 on fire safety testing, if the Government will introduce regulations to ensure that testing a building's cladding system involves testing the cladding and insulation together for safety and combustibility.

Karen Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps to ensure that combustible products which produce cyanide when burned are banned from buildings on the grounds of fire safety.

Karen Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that cladding and building insulation will use only Euroclass A1 and A2 materials that are graded as non-combustible.

Dominic Raab: We will ensure there is no room for doubt over what materials can be used safely in cladding systems on high rise residential buildings. Having listened carefully to the arguments for banning combustible materials in cladding systems on high rise residential buildings, the Government intends to introduce a ban and will consult accordingly. We will publish a consultation document as early as practicable.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Non-departmental Public Bodies

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many (a) women and (b) men his Department has appointed to each of its non-Departmental Public Bodies in each of the last five years.

Jake Berry: The Commissioner for Public Appointments completes and publishes an annual data survey of all new appointments and reappointments made to boards of public bodies by Government including the overall gender diversity.Data on the gender diversity of new non-executive appointees to public boards for 2012 to 2015 is published on Gov.uk https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/diversity-in-public-appointmentsData for appointments, including reappointments, to the Department's non-Departmental Public Bodies since 2015 is as follows:2015 – 162016-20172017-2018MaleFemaleMaleFemaleMaleFemale216165133   In advertising public appointments the Department utilises a range of recruitment websites that specifically target women. The Department is also considering other ways in which it can attract a more diverse candidate pool such as broader, more targeted advertising and even better use of existing stakeholder networks.

Planning Permission: Greater London

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what criteria his Department uses to call in major planning applications in London.

Dominic Raab: The Secretary of State’s approach to calling in planning applications in England is set out in various Written Ministerial Statements to this House in particular on 26 October 2012 (column 72WS). The Written Ministerial Statement states that the “Secretary of State will, in general, only consider the use of his call in powers if planning issues of more than local importance are involved”. The Written Ministerial Statement sets out examples of reasons why applications could be called in such as the application may conflict with national policies on important matters or could have significant effects beyond their immediate locality. However, each case will continue to be considered on its individual merits.

Rented Housing: Students

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has made an estimate of the number of (a) private companies and (b) overseas investors that collect rental income from student accommodation.

James Brokenshire: We do not hold information on private providers of student accommodation and have therefore not made an estimate of either private companies or overseas investors that collect rental income from student accommodation.

Retail Trade: Parking

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what his Department's policy is on the establishment of private car parks in retail areas.

Rishi Sunak: The establishment of new car parks is a matter that needs to be considered based on local circumstances.The revised draft National Planning Policy Framework does make it clear that in town centres, local authorities should seek to improve the quality of parking so that it is convenient, safe and secure, alongside the inclusion of measures to promote accessibility for pedestrians and cyclists.

Supported Housing: Finance

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how the Government plans to calculate the localised ring-fenced budget for short-term supported housing.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: My Department and the Department for Work and Pensions are currently working together with local authorities to determine the overall grant budget and local grant allocations.

Bus Stations: Vauxhall

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assurances Lambeth Council gave to his Department on the timing of its decision on the future of Vauxhall Bus Station.

Rishi Sunak: Lambeth Council gave no assurances on the timing of its decision on the future of Vauxhall Bus Station. The Department had an informal arrangement in place with the Council whereby they agreed not to issue their decision whilst the Secretary of State was considering the issue of call-in.

Refuges: Females

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many refuges in the UK are available for a woman with no recourse to public funds; and what the locations are of those refuges.

Nigel Adams: The Department does not hold centrally the number and location of refuges which are available to women with no recourse to public funds in the UK.The provision of refuge is a devolved matter. We are carrying out a comprehensive review of how domestic abuse services are delivered locally across England. To inform our review we have commissioned an audit - being run by Ipsos MORI – which will give us a complete picture of domestic abuse provision across England, including services for victims with no recourse to public funds. This will enable us to assess what impact services are having and to identify any gaps in provision. Thereafter we will make decisions on the future arrangements for domestic abuse services.Of the projects funded through the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government 2016-18 £20 million fund for domestic abuse services, 14 committed to use funding they received to support victims of domestic abuse with no recourse to public funds. We also fund the ‘No Women Turned Away Project’ managed by Women’s Aid, which provides support to victims of domestic abuse, including those with no recourse to public funds, who may have been turned away from a refuge.Government has consulted on what more can be done to protect domestic abuse victims with no recourse to public funds through the Domestic Abuse Bill, which closed on 31 May. We are currently analysing the 3,200 plus responses received and will carefully consider what future courses of action are necessary.

High Rise Flats: Fires

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 31 May 2018 to Question 146735 on High Rise Flats: Fires, what steps he has taken to ensure that high-rise tower block owners comply with the relevant fire service guidance on the stay put policy.

James Brokenshire: In light of the Grenfell Tower fire, last year the National Fire Chief’s Council (NFCC) published guidance on simultaneous evacuation which included when to suspend the principle of ‘stay put’ in residential buildings over 18 metres which have been identified as having unsafe aluminium composite material cladding. The Government’s Expert Panel supports the NFCC’s revised guidance. The Expert Panel has also advised that interim measures be put in place to ensure the risk of fire is minimised while these buildings await remediation of their cladding systems. These include the provision of waking watch wardens and/or common alarm systems to ensure that all residents are alerted to fire and the need to evacuate.Fire and rescue services have been checking these new arrangements in affected buildings to ensure appropriate measures are in place and that residents are kept safe.

High Rise Flats: Fires

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 31 May 2018 to Question 146735 on High Rise Flats: Fires, which fire and rescue authorities in England have suspended the stay put guidance for residents of high-rise tower blocks that have cladding systems that do not meet current Building Regulations guidance.

James Brokenshire: The National Fire Chiefs Council’s general guidance supports the principle of a ‘stay put’ strategy where it is appropriate. Decisions on maintaining or suspending the ‘stay put’ policy in blocks of flats should be based on a comprehensive risk assessment undertaken by a competent fire risk assessor. Residents and the local fire and rescue service should be informed where an existing ‘stay put’ policy is suspended.

Social Rented Housing: Fire Prevention

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether (a) local authorities and (b) housing associations are required to use non-combustible insulation to be eligible for Government funding to replace dangerous cladding.

James Brokenshire: Government has indicated that social sector should replace any unsafe cladding systems on their buildings with European class A1 or class A2 materials in order to be eligible for the funding. The A1 and A2 classifications are the same ones that are used in Scotland and many other countries. We will then fund reasonable costs associated with the removal and replacement of cladding systems, such as access, scaffolding, materials (including insulation) and labour. We will also continue to offer local authorities financial flexibilities for other essential work.

Empty Property: Private Sector

Gareth Snell: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of empty privately owned homes.

Dominic Raab: We continue to support local authorities to encourage efficient use of our existing stock, making best use of homes that have been empty. Local authorities have powers and incentives to tackle empty homes. Through the New Homes Bonus, they earn the same financial reward for bringing an empty home back into use as building a new one.The Ratings (Property in Common Occupation) and Council Tax (Empty Dwellings) Bill will permit a charge of up to 200 per cent of normal council tax on properties that have been empty for two years or more, instead of the current limit of 150 per cent.Great progress has been made in recent years and the number of empty homes stands at its lowest since records began. At May 2010, over 300,000 homes in England had been standing empty for longer than 6 months. As of October 2017, the number of long term empty properties had fallen to 205,293

Housing: Land

Gareth Snell: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the number of local authorities that have identified a valid five year housing land supply.

Dominic Raab: The National Planning Policy Framework requires local planning authorities to identify five years’ worth of deliverable housing sites against their housing requirements. Most areas produce an annual assessment of their five year land supply. However, this position can alter due to market conditions and challenge at appeal, therefore the department does not estimate five year housing land supply at any one point in time.

EU Grants and Loans

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of devolving power over the management of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to the (a) administrations and (b) institutions that manage the allocation of European Structural Investment Funds.

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether sums of funding delivered from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund will be calculated by means of the the Barnett Formula.

Jake Berry: The Government continues to work on the design and priorities of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. All decisions on spending will be made at the Spending Review.

Local Government: Procurement

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Government is taking steps to ensure that all local authorities across the UK record third party spending with small businesses in a consistent manner to improve transparency and comparability; and if he will make a statement.

Rishi Sunak: Local authorities in England are subject to the Transparency Code 2015. This requires that councils publish a range of data, including that on procurement and contracts. Here councils are required to publish data on invitations to tender for contracts over £5000 and contracts awarded over £5000 are published on a quarterly basis. This information should be made available in an open, machine readable format.

Leasehold

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to protect leaseholders from excessive quotations for lease renewals in (a) the North East and (b) England.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The Government is committed to promoting fairness and transparency for leaseholders and freeholders in England, including the North East.We want to make it easier for existing leaseholders to exercise their right to buy their freehold, or extend their lease, quickly, fairly and cheaply and for this right to be available as soon as possible. The Government is prioritising solutions for leaseholders of houses.We are working with the Law Commission on introducing a cheaper and less complex statutory procedure for leaseholders to acquire a lease extension, or purchase the freehold, whilst ensuring that landlords obtain fair compensation.The Law Commission has published its terms of reference at https://www.lawcom.gov.uk/project/leasehold-enfranchisement/We will make further announcements in due course, and bring forward legislation at the earliest opportunity.

Ministry of Defence

Veterans: Limitation of Actions

Leo Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will bring forward legislative proposals for a statute of limitations to protect British veterans of combat operations in (a) Northern Ireland, (b) Iraq, (c) Afghanistan, (d) the Falklands and (e) all other combat theatres from (i) repeat prosecutions and (ii) unfounded historical allegations.

Gavin Williamson: In respect of Northern Ireland, the Government believes that the institutions proposed in the 2014 Stormont House Agreement are the best way to ensure a fair, balanced and proportionate approach to addressing the legacy of the past. The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) is currently consulting on how the Stormont House Agreement could be implemented. In recognition of the fact that others - such as the House of Commons Defence Committee - support different ways forward such as the creation of a statute of limitations, the NIO consultation includes an open question to allow those views to be expressed. The Government will consider all responses to the consultation before deciding on next steps.In respect of Iraq, the Iraq Historical Allegations Team was closed in June 2017 and its remaining caseload passed to the service police, who expect their investigations to be substantially complete around the end of 2018.On Afghanistan, Operation Northmoor has completed over 95% of its caseload. Investigations are expected to be concluded by the end of 2018.The Ministry of Defence is not aware of any historic criminal investigations in respect of events in the Falklands or other combat theatres.

European Fighter Aircraft

Douglas Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 29 May 2018 to Question 146960 on European Fighter Aircraft, what proportion of the £45 million has been assigned to the installation of the the Enhanced Collision Awareness System.

Guto Bebb: The installation of stage one of the Enhanced Collision Awareness System (ECAS) onto Typhoon is part of a package of capability enhancements. As further enhancements will be contracted for in due course, I am withholding the current cost of the ECAS installation as disclosure would prejudice commercial interests in future competitions for similar work.

Saudi Arabia: Military Aircraft

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what role (a) RAF and (b) UK-contracted personnel have played in weapons (i) loading and (ii) maintenance for Saudi aircraft taking part in operations in Yemen since 2015.

Guto Bebb: UK-contracted personnel, including UK military personnel on secondment to BAE Systems, support the safe storage and issue of weapons in accordance with long-standing government-to-government arrangements.They do not load weapons for operations in Yemen.

Israel: Military Exercises

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many military exercises the Royal Navy has conducted with the Israeli navy since 2016; and if he will make a statement on the (a) nature and (b) extent of naval military co-operation between the two countries.

Mark Lancaster: The Royal Navy (RN) enjoys a good relationship with the Israeli Navy and conducts routine Defence Engagement activities, including Staff Talks and capability discussions designed to further our mutual understanding and align areas for cooperation.RN ships have conducted port visits to Israel on five occasions since 1 January 2016, lasting between two and four days. On these occasions the embarked forces conducted routine Defence Engagement activities and small tactical exercises with Israeli Defence Forces.HMS DEFENDER - June 2016HMS BULWARK - November 2016HMS DARING - April 2017HMS OCEAN - November 2017HMS DUNCAN - May 2018The last two port visits were conducted under NATO Command, when the RN Ships were Flagships of the Standing NATO Maritime Group 2.

NATO

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to attend the 2018 NATO summit; and what recent assessment he has made of the level of commitment of other NATO member states to two per cent of GDP as a minimum investment in defence.

Gavin Williamson: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my noble Friend, the Minister of State for Defence in the House of Lords (Earl Howe), to the noble Lord, Lord Jopling DL, in the House of Lords to Question HL7899. Burden sharing will be an important issue at the forthcoming NATO Summit, which I am due to attend.



HL7899 - WQnA extract on Defence Finance
(Word Document, 24.83 KB)

European Fighter Aircraft: Safety Measures

Douglas Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 29 May 2018 to Question 146325 on European Fighter Aircraft: Safety Measures, how the Typhoon’s Enhanced Collision Awareness System will meet the requirement for an independent Airborne Collision Avoidance System.

Guto Bebb: The Ministry of Defence requirement is to reduce the risk of mid-air collision. The Enhanced Collision Awareness System will meet this by enhancing the pilot's situational awareness of collision threats when in congested airspace, enabling appropriate action to be taken and providing additional protection for Typhoon pilots.

Ministry of Defence: Non-departmental Public Bodies

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) women and (b) men his Department has appointed to each of his Department's non-Departmental Public Bodies in each of the last five years.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Commissioner for Public Appointments completes and publishes an annual data survey of all new appointments and reappointments made to boards of public bodies by Government, including the overall gender diversity.Data on the gender diversity of new non-executive appointees to public boards for 2012 to 2015 is published at the following address: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/diversity-in-public-appointmentsInformation on the gender of new public appointees in 2016-17 is available in the 'Public Appointments Diversity Action Plan' which was published in December 2017 and can be found at the following address: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/public-appointments-diversity-action-plan

Defence Fire Risk Management Organisation

Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what time period was his Department's tender validity on the Defence Fire Risk Management Organisation contract extended; and when he plans to announce the winning tender.

Mark Lancaster: The Defence Fire and Rescue project remains subject to an on-going approvals process. Bidders have accepted extensions to the bid validity period to accommodate this; these extensions are confidential between the bidders and the Department. An announcement on the outcome of the project will be made in due course.

India: Military Aid

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Special Air Service has given any training, advice or assistance to the Indian army commando unit called the National Security Guard in the last 30 years; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Lancaster: It is Her Majesty's Government's policy not to comment, and to dissuade others from commenting or speculating, about the activities of Special Forces because of the security implications.

Armed Forces: Deployment

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many armed forces personnel are deployed in EU member states; and where those personnel are so deployed.

Mark Lancaster: As of 1 June 2018, the numbers of defence personnel deployed on operations in EU member states are:  EU Member StateOperation Number of Defence personnelEstoniaUK contribution to NATO’s enhanced Forward Presence842Poland140CyprusUK contribution to the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP)291ItalyUK contribution to Operation Sophia, the EU’s counter migrant smuggling operation5 (excludes personnel deployed off shore)RomaniaUK contribution to NATO’s Air Policing Mission151 Note: The figures above do not include defence personnel who are stationed in EU Member States, such as those working in international organisations and Embassies or engaged in short term exercises. The figures above represent the Department’s established posts on current operations. At any one time these figures can fluctuate as personnel move in and out of the operational area. Support to NATO’s Air Policing Mission rotates frequently between NATO allies; the figures for Romania represent our contribution as at 1 June 2018.

Members: Correspondence

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when his Department plans to respond to the letter dated 15 May 2018 from the hon. Member for Bridgend on access to Service Inquiries.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Ministry of Defence aims to respond to correspondence from MPs within 20 working days. A response to the hon. Member is in progress.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Jamie Stone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has made an assessment of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on the level of recruitment to the armed forces.

Jamie Stone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the ability of the armed forces to recruit STEM graduates after the UK leaves the EU.

Mark Lancaster: Following the EU Exit referendum, as part of the formulation of Ministry of Defence strategy, an assessment was undertaken of the potential impact of Brexit on Armed Forces recruitment and retention. It concluded that Brexit was unlikely to impact directly on Armed Forces recruitment, given our nationality requirements, but there could be a secondary impact should Brexit increase demand for scarce skills in the UK. This could, indirectly, impact on Armed Forces recruitment and retention. Given uncertainty over the nature of the final Brexit arrangements and the subsequent impact on the UK skills base there are a range of potential consequences which will inform future Armed Forces recruitment and retention policy.

Army: Recruitment

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) longest, (b) shortest and (c) average time taken between sending in an online application and attestation for regular and reserve recruits to the British Army has been in each year since 2012.

Mark Lancaster: The requested times taken between receipt of a processed application and enlistment (intake to Phase 1 training) for regular and reserve soldier applicants are shown in the table below. Calendar YearRegular Time in DaysReserves Time in Days MinAverageMedianHighMinAverageMedianHigh201236362345730162852647302013423793687302031128473020144234832873018312275730201552334314730202592327302016243192987302325422073020174530929473020272243730  An improvement plan is seeking to make further, more significant, reductions in the average/median time between application and enlistment. Notes:Figures are a single service estimates, they are not Official Statistics.Attestation is not at a consistently set milestone for applicants within the recruitment pipeline and is therefore not held centrally in the format requested. Date of intake to Phase 1 training has been provided.Figures do not include Officers.

Army: Recruitment

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Regular and (b) Reserve passed an assessment centre to join the Army in each year since 2012.

Mark Lancaster: The number of Regular and Reserve Army personnel who passed the assessment centre or the Army Officer Selection Board in each year since 2012 is shown in the tables below: Regular and Reserve Other Ranks  Calendar YearRegular SoldierReserve Soldier20128,9202,25020136,8201,44020148,1802,61020157,8703,06020166,4002,25020176,4802,000 Regular and Reserve Officers Calendar YearRegular OfficersReserve Officers2012490702013350802014360150201548022020164902202017500180  Notes:Figures are a Single Service estimates and are not Official Statistics.Figures have been rounded to 10 to limit disclosure and ensure confidentiality; numbers ending in "5" have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.

National Security

Julia Lopez: What recent discussions he has had with the National Security Adviser on the current and future intensity of the threat environment.

Gavin Williamson: As the House is aware, the Ministry of Defence is currently conducting the Modernising Defence Programme.I meet the National Security Adviser on a regular basis to discuss key issues including Russia’s increasingly destabilising behaviour, conflict and tension in Syria and the wider Middle East, the spread of violent extremism and organised crime in ungoverned spaces, and the situation on the Korean peninsula.The Modernising Defence Programme will take all of this into account as we determine what capabilities and policies we need to meet the threats we face.

EU Battlegroups

Rosie Duffield: What recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on the Government's decision to withdraw from leading the EU battlegroup in 2019.

Mark Lancaster: In March this year, given ongoing negotiations about post-Brexit arrangements between the UK and EU, we decided to withdraw our provisional offer to lead an EU Battlegroup in the second half of 2019. Our decision gave good time for another Member State to take on the role. The UK/EU Withdrawal Agreement has confirmed that the UK may not lead an EU Battlegroup during the Implementation Period.

Korea: Politics and Government

Kevin Foster: What recent assessment he has made of the military situation on the Korean peninsula.

Gavin Williamson: Tensions on the Korean peninsula are lower than for some time.We look forward to the summit between President Trump and Kim Jong-Un and hope that it results in an agreement that brings about complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.I urge Kim Jong-Un to heed the clear message that it is only through a change of course that he can realise the security and prosperity that North Korea claims to seek.

Navy

Mr John Baron: What assessment he has made of the strategic importance of sea power for UK security and prosperity.

Mark Lancaster: As is befitting an island nation, the UK has one of the most capable, skilled and experienced navies in the world. It is of vital strategic importance to UK security and prosperity.

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Non-departmental Public Bodies

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many (a) women and (b) men his Department has appointed to each of its non-Departmental Public Bodies in each of the last five years.

David Mundell: The Commissioner for Public Appointments completes and publishes an annual data survey of all new appointments and reappointments made to boards of public bodies by Government, including the overall gender diversity. Data on the gender diversity of new non-executive appointees to public boards for 2012 to 2015 is published on Gov.uk https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/diversity-in-public-appointments. My Department has one Non-Departmental Public Body, the Boundary Commission for Scotland. I have made the following appointments to this body in the last two years. YearWomenMen201610201700

Department for International Trade

Department for International Trade: Chief Scientific Advisers

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many meetings he had with his Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser between 1 January and 31 March 2018.

Greg Hands: Ministerial offices have been engaging with the Chief Scientific Adviser. My Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade recently met with the Chief Scientific Adviser’s Head of Office and has a meeting in his diary to meet the Chief Scientific Adviser in June 2018.The Chief Scientific Adviser contributes fully to policy development, including through frequent meetings with the Permanent Secretary, Chief Trade Negotiation Adviser and other members of DIT’s Executive Committee; as well as engaging more broadly with policy development such as through the Chief Scientific Advisers’ Network.

Department for International Trade: Staff

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many staff were (a) employed by and (b) seconded to his Department at May (i) 2017 and (ii) 2018.

Greg Hands: Holding answer received on 04 June 2018



The number of staff working for the Department for International Trade (DIT) and UK Export Finance (UKEF) is set out below.The totals shown include all people engaged in DIT business activities. This includes employees, contractors and those on loan to/from other government departments or seconded from organisations external to the Civil Service.DIT & UKEF calculate and report their workforce at the end of each month. As the totals for May 2018 are not yet available, comparative figures for end of April are being shown between (i) 2017 and (ii) 2018.  DIT and UKEF Total StaffOf which are inward secondees from organisations outside the Civil Service30 April 20173,0392230 April 20183,77917

Food: Standards

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that food standards are maintained in future trade deals after the UK leaves the EU.

Greg Hands: The UK has very high standards of food safety and environmental protection, and maintaining public confidence in the food we eat is vitally important. I am clear that we will maintain our high standards on food safety and environmental protection as part of any future trade deals.

Israel: Arms Trade

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what UK military equipment has been exported for use by the Israeli navy since 2016.

Graham Stuart: The Department for International Trade has issued export licences for the following military equipment to the Israeli Navy since 2016:  Annual Report SummaryComponents for combat naval vesselsComponents for electronic warfare equipmentComponents for military communications equipmentComponents for military guidance/navigation equipmentComponents for military radarsComponents for naval electrical/electronic equipmentComponents for submarinesComponents for weapon control equipmentGeneral naval vessel componentsMilitary communications equipmentMilitary electronic equipmentMilitary guidance/navigation equipmentMilitary sonarsNaval electrical/electronic equipmentNuclear Biological and Chemical protective/defensive equipmentTechnology for military communications equipmentTechnology for military guidance/navigation equipment For export control purposes “technology” is defined as specific information necessary for the “development”, “production” or “use” of “goods”, in the Export Control Order 2008 and the EU Dual-Use Regulation.

UK Trade With EU

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what proportion of the UK's trade in goods in 2017 for (a) exports (b) imports was with countries that the UK has a preferential trading relationship with due to its membership of the EU.

Graham Stuart: Department for International Trade indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Trade Agreements: Developing Countries

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the gross value of tariff free goods that the UK imported from developing countries in 2017 was.

Graham Stuart: The latest data accessed from Eurostat shows that the UK imported, tariff free, goods worth £23.2bn from developing countries in 2017. There is no single definition of developing countries. This figure includes imports from all countries that receive preferential access to the UK through the Generalised Scheme of Preference, Economic Partnership Agreements or Market Access Regulations.

Arms Trade: Israel

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, the gross value of licenced armed exports made to Israel (a) in total for and (b) in each of the last five years.

Graham Stuart: I refer the hon. Member for Cardiff Central to the answer I gave her on 23 April 2018, UIN: 136499.

Women and Equalities

Minister for Women and Equalities: Written Questions

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, when she plans to respond to Question 136110, on Access to Elected Office for Disabled People Fund, tabled on 17 April 2018 by the hon. Member for Brighton Pavilion.

Victoria Atkins: I apologise for a late reply. The hon member asked when the evaluation report on the 2012-2015 Access to Elected Office Fund will be published. It will be published shortly.

Department for Transport

Outdoor Recreation: Children

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will publish further guidance to local authorities advising them of the benefits of street play for children and of the powers that local authorities have to permit road closures in residential areas for that purpose.

Jesse Norman: The Department for Transport has no plans to publish guidance on Play Streets. It is for local authorities to decide whether or not to implement road closures. Specific legislation covering Play Streets is provided in section 29 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984. This enables local authorities to close roads for the purposes of street play, through a Traffic Regulation Order. This must be indicated on street with appropriate traffic signs. Local authorities may also close roads under Section 16a of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, but this legislation covers special events, rather than specifically street play. An order under this section may only be made three times a year. Any subsequent orders must be approved by the Secretary of State.

Plymouth Airport

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Government has a policy on the re-opening of Plymouth City Airport; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: The Government published in December 2016 a study on the findings from previous reports commissioned by interested parties on the potential viability of renewed commercial passenger services from the former airport. As aviation operates in the private sector, it will be for Plymouth City Council and Sutton Harbour Holdings, as respectively owner and leaseholder of the airport site, to consider any plans put forward by potential investors for re-instating aviation operations from the airport.

Railways: Devon

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to announce funding for additional railway resilience work at Dawlish and Teignmouth.

Joseph Johnson: The Department for Transport has already provided £15m funding for Network Rail to undertake development work on schemes to improve the resilience of the line through Dawlish and Teignmouth, in addition to the £40m spent by Network Rail to repair the damage caused by the 2014 storm. This is a highly unique and complex terrain and in order to deliver the best solution it is critical that the resilience study is comprehensive. The development work encompassing ground investigations, option selection and outline design is expected to be complete in 2019. A decision about the next phase of work and the funding for that can then be made.

Aviation

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on how many occasions the power under section 41 of the Civil Aviation Act 1982 to acquire and manage land for any purpose connected to civil aviation has been used; and on what dates that power was exercised.

Jesse Norman: The power under Section 41 of the Civil Aviation Act 1982 to acquire and manage land has never been used for any purpose connected to civil aviation.

Northern: Standards

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the reported cancellation of over 2,500 trains in April puts Arriva Rail North in default of its franchise obligations.

Joseph Johnson: Northern have advised that a large number of incidents relating to cancellations and performance in general are still ‘in dispute’, i.e. responsibility for the cause has not been allocated. They are confident that the root causes of many of the issues leading to cancellations or delays are not their responsibility. The Department therefore needs to wait until this process is complete before being able to decide whether action under the Franchise Agreement is appropriate. If the Secretary of State is satisfied that the Franchisee is contravening or is likely to contravene any term of the Franchise Agreement he may serve a Remedial Plan Notice on the Franchisee requiring it to produce a Remedial Plan. If the Secretary of State for Transport is satisfied with the Remedial Plan he may require the Franchisee to enter into a Remedial Agreement to implement the matters identified in the Remedial Plan. A material non-compliance with the Remedial Agreement would be an Event of Default.

Large Goods Vehicles: Weight Limits

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department's letter entitled Regulation of mobile concrete batching plant – decision on operating weight arrangements, published on 5 April 2018, for what reason his Department did not undertake an assessment of the economic effect on the viability of businesses of his decision against a permanent specific arrangement for mobile batching concrete plants prior to that announcement.

Jesse Norman: The Department does not in general conduct impact assessments on the application of existing legal requirements. However, we have listened to industry’s concerns, and that is why we have confirmed a 10 year derogation to allow mobile concrete batching plants to continue to operate above the standard legal weight limits to give the industry sufficient time to adjust.

Large Goods Vehicles: Weight Limits

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his announcement of 10 March 2017 that the only preconditions were (a) to ensure that the weights envisaged for both the STGO regime and VSOs were within the accepted tolerances of the standard national loading model for road structures and (b) technical legal drafting, for what reasons his announcement of 5 April 2018, decided against an amendment to the special types rules to enable Mobile Concrete Batching Plants (MCBPs) to continue to operate outside standard legal gross vehicle weight limits, but within standard axle weights, in order to maintain similar payloads to current operations.

Jesse Norman: In discussions between Departmental officials and some mobile batching industry representatives in 2017, no commitments were made about what arrangements would be put in place following a final decision. An official letter to the Batched on Site Association dated 10 March 2017 is stated to be “without prejudice to a Ministerial decision”. It summarises a technical proposal, which Ministers asked officials to develop with that industry group, for future Ministerial consideration.

Large Goods Vehicles: Weight Limits

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his announcement of 10 March 2017 that a permanent specific weight regime for Mobile Concrete Batching Plants (MCBPs) was a specific solution proposed for the very specific circumstances related to MCBPs, for what reasons his Department now concludes that it would be highly likely to receive demands for similar treatment from operators of other types of vehicles that would benefit from operating at a higher gross weight, including tippers and barrel mixers.

Jesse Norman: In December 2017 the Department sought wider stakeholder views on the concept of a specific permanent weight arrangement for mobile concrete batching plant. Following that exercise, it decided not to take forward this option. It is partly because of the feedback received on the concept that the Department concluded that other such demands would be likely.

Railways: Cowley

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to re-open the Cowley branch line in Oxford to passenger services.

Joseph Johnson: The Government is working with local authorities and other partners in Oxfordshire to identify new rail projects that can unlock new housing and economic growth whilst offering good value for money. As a first step the Chancellor provided the Department for Transport with £300,000 in the 2017 Autumn Statement to jointly fund with local stakeholders an Oxfordshire Rail Corridor study that will explore rail growth in the area and look at options for potential new services, stations and routes.

Govia Thameslink Railway

Bim Afolami: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the reasons for the driver shortages on train services to Hitchin in the first week of the new Govia Thameslink timetable.

Bim Afolami: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the efficacy of the Govia Thameslink franchise in relation to the changes to the timetable on the rail network.

Bim Afolami: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the introduction of the new Govia Thameslink timetable.

Joseph Johnson: The unacceptable level of service since the start of the new timetable is not due to Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) not having enough drivers. The significant delay in Network Rail agreeing the timetable has directly impacted on GTR’s ability to re-work train crew schedules and deliver driver training on new routes and on new trains and this has impacted on the delivery of the new timetable. To make space on the network for hundreds of extra services, the timing of all services had to be changed and all of these new journeys needed to be individually approved by Network Rail to ensure the national rail network runs safely and smoothly. Unfortunately, as a result of the sheer number of changes required, the process took longer than anticipated, approvals for service changes were delayed and some timetable requests were changed. This meant the operator had much less time to prepare than it needed – leading to a shortage of drivers trained on the right routes. We are assessing whether GTR met their contractual obligations in the planning and delivery of this timetable change, and whether these issues could have been reasonably foreseen and different action taken to prevent the high levels of disruption passengers are experiencing. The assessment will cover whether GTR had sufficient resources and skills to deliver the new timetable, if drivers could have been trained in a faster and more effective way, and examine the contingency and risk management arrangements in place. If it is found that GTR are materially in breach of their contractual obligations, we will take the appropriate enforcement action against them. Passengers on GTR are facing totally unsatisfactory levels of service and it is the Department’s number one priority to restore reliability to an acceptable level as soon as possible. We are in regular discussions with Network Rail and GTR and have reiterated this to them. The rail industry has collectively failed to deliver for passengers and has rightly issued a joint apology. When this new timetable is fully introduced it will deliver hundreds more services up and down the country as part of the biggest modernisation of the railway since Victorian times, following the huge growth we have seen in passenger numbers.

Railways: Timetables

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to tackle the disruption caused by the introduction of the new (a) Govia Thameslink Railway and (b) Southeastern timetable.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to impose penalties on (a) Govia Thameslink Railway and (b) Southeastern for the disruption caused by their new timetables; and if he will make a statement.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to direct (a) Govia Thameslink Railway and (b) Southeastern to pay compensation to passengers affected by the disruption caused by the introduction by those companies of new timetables; and if he will make a statement.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with (a) Govia Thameslink Railway and (b) Southeastern on the disruption to services occasioned by the introduction of the new timetables.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with (a) Govia Thameslink and (b) Southeastern on the timescale for the phased implementation of the new rail timetables.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the disruption caused by the introduction of the new Govia Thameslink Railway timetable, if he will cancel the franchise agreement with (a) that company and (b) Southeastern and pass responsibility for their services to Transport for London.

Joseph Johnson: The disruption to passengers on Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) services has been completely unsatisfactory. The Southeastern timetable introduced on 20 May is generally performing well, but the disruption on GTR services has had a knock on impact on some Southeastern services. Ministers and officials in the Department and are working around the clock with GTR to take steps to swiftly stabilise the train services including monitoring on-going performance and working closely with stakeholders to agree a revised and more consistent timetable. In due course we will assess whether GTR met their contractual obligations and if they found to have materially breached the Franchise Agreement the Department will take the appropriate enforcement actions. Govia Thameslink Railway and SouthEastern customers are entitled and encouraged to apply to their train operator for Delay Repay compensation for affected journeys. The Secretary of State has also announced a special compensation scheme for GTR customers. It is to be funded by the rail industry and will ensure regular rail customers receive appropriate redress for the disruption they have experienced. We are in regular discussions with both Govia Thameslink Railway, SouthEastern, Network Rail and other train operating companies about the disruption to train services. We have made it explicitly clear that the current disruption which passengers are facing is totally unacceptable. It is the Department’s number one priority to restore timetable reliability as soon as possible. My officials and I are in regular discussions with both Govia Thameslink Railway and SouthEastern, as well as Network Rail and other train operating companies. We have made it explicitly clear that the current disruption that passengers are facing is totally unacceptable. GTR are now removing services in advance from their timetable rather than on the day and reducing weekend services to pre-May levels in order to provide greater certainty to passengers. This will be in place until a full re-planning of driver resourcing can take place.

Department for Transport: Non-departmental Public Bodies

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport,  how many (a) women and (b) men his Department has appointed to each of his Department's non-Departmental Public Bodies in each of the last five years.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Commissioner for Public Appointments completes and publishes an annual data survey of all new appointments and reappointments made to boards of public bodies by Government including the overall gender diversity. Data on the gender diversity of new non-executive appointees to public boards for 2012 to 2015 is published on Gov.uk https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/diversity-in-public-appointments.

Roads: Tyne and Wear

Mr Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what support his Department has provide to (a) South Tyneside and (b) Gateshead local authorities for the repair and maintenance of potholes.

Jesse Norman: The Government has provided South Tyneside Local Highway Authority £6.567 million from 2015/16 to 2018/19 for local highways maintenance. This funding includes £0.417 million from the Pothole Action Fund to allow the repair of potholes or stop them forming in the first place. The Government has provided Gateshead Local Highway Authority £11.478 million from 2015/16 to 2018/19 for local highways maintenance. This funding includes £0.626 million from the Pothole Action Fund. The Department for Transport announced in January 2017 that it is undertaking an innovative trial on the way potholes are identified and managed, working in partnership with Thurrock, York and Wiltshire councils and two private sector SMEs, Soenecs and Gaist. This trial allows high-definition cameras to be mounted to refuse collection vehicles and by deploying innovative intelligent software will identify road surface problems before they become potholes. The trial recently won an award for the best use of new technology in the highways sector. The Government announced in March 2018 that it is investing more than £900,000 in innovations using connected vehicles to help councils manage and plan maintenance works more efficiently. These trials will ultimately help to provide councils with data to enable them to repair potholes before they occur as well as to maintain their other assets more effectively as part of their asset management plans. The Department for Transport is also providing funding to the Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning and Transport (ADEPT) to work on technological and innovative improvements to future-proof the local road network.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 4 June 2018 to Question 146982 on High Speed 2 Railway Line, whether the level of local funding to the High Speed Two station at Manchester Airport is greater than the average level of funding for stations in receipt of local funding.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Other station places along the Phase 2b route, such as Leeds, are proposed to have one HS2 station. Greater Manchester is proposed to have two HS2 stations; Manchester Airport station is a unique case in that it was included as part of the proposed route following petitioning by Greater Manchester and only agreed to on the basis of a locally-led funding package. The local funding expected from Greater Manchester is in recognition of these key differences.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Manchester Airport

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 22 May 2018 to Question 145409 on High Speed 2 Railway Line: Manchester Airport, what proportion of the total cost of Manchester Airport HS2 Station will be sourced from (a) the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, (b) Manchester Airports Group and (c) other local partners.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The proportion of the total costs assigned to each of the interested parties highlighted is dependent on Greater Manchester organising and agreeing a locally-led funding package for the station. It is for Greater Manchester to lead; the Government continues to support Greater Manchester in reaching an agreement on this funding package.

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the Home Secretary on the effect on domestic (a) seafarers and (b) maritime skills of the employment of non-EEA crew on offshore wind construction and maintenance vessels in UK territorial waters; and if he will make a statement.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: There have been no discussions with the Home Secretary on either of these topics.

Northern: Timetables

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to paragraph 22.1 of schedule 6.1 of Part 1 on page 226 of the rail franchise agreement - Northern, whether Northern completed its systemic review of the values contained in the timetable planning rules by 31 March 2018; and whether it reported on that review to his Department.

Joseph Johnson: Due to the impact the delays in infrastructure projects in the North West of England had on Northern’s timetable, a derogation to this obligation was granted with a revised delivery date of 31st March 2019.

Northern

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to paragraph 24.1 of schedule 6 to part 1 of the Northern Rail franchise agreement, published in February 2016, what assessment he has made of Northern Rail's reports on recruited and trained drivers required to operate the franchise.

Joseph Johnson: The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Heathrow Airport

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what financial assessment he has made of the effect on the Barnett Consequentials for Wales of the Transport for London funding required to service a third runway in Heathrow.

Jesse Norman: The Government has made no such assessment as we are clear that the costs for works on the transport network which are physically needed to enable the Heathrow Northwest Runway scheme to operate will be privately financed. Where the costs are for transport works that are not solely required to deliver airport capacity and have a wider range of beneficiaries, the Government, along with relevant stakeholders, will consider the need for a public funding contribution alongside an appropriate contribution from the airport on a case by case basis. Such Government costs would be subject to the Barnett formula. Additionally, Transport for London (TfL) spending is a matter for the Mayor of London. Funding for TfL from the Department for Transport has been subject to the Barnett Formula in the usual way, as set out in the Statement of Funding Policy.

Public Transport: Essex and Kent

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of public transport links between Essex and Kent.

Jesse Norman: The Government recognises the geographical constraints on direct transport links between Essex and Kent. We have announced the preferred route for a new Lower Thames Crossing to improve strategic road links between the two counties that will help relieve pressure at the existing Dartford crossing. This extra road capacity could offer more direct journeys for passengers on any bus services making use of the new route. The Government continues to invest in improvements to rail infrastructure in both Essex and Kent and Department officials continue to work closely with local partners to identify local transport improvements. Separately, the independent Thames Estuary Commission has been considering, amongst other things, proposals for transport links to unlock growth potential in the area and we look forward to the publication of the Commission’s report later this year.

Northern: Standards

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made on Northern's ability to achieve the service level commitments set out in its franchise agreement.

Joseph Johnson: The Department for Transport is currently assessing Northern’s service level commitments set out in its franchise agreement against service levels being provided.Our top priority at the moment is to ensure Northern provides a stable timetable to address the performance issues experienced from the start of the new timetable.

Members: Correspondence

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Rochdale dated 11 April 2018, reference number IW/0060, on the age of road vehicle tyres.

Jesse Norman: The Government has provided specific guidance to every operator of a public service vehicle on the importance of safety and to ensure that tyres are correctly maintained and their condition routinely monitored. They are also advised not to use tyres of 10-years of age or more on the steering axle of a bus or coach. This guidance has been reinforced during vehicle inspections by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency. Ensuring compliance with the guidance is important and the Government made clear that it has not ruled out further measures.

Airports: Standards

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his Department's plans are for improving surface transport access to airports; and how such improvements will be funded.

Jesse Norman: The Government’s position on surface access for airports is that developers should pay the costs of upgrading or enhancing road, rail or other transport networks or services where there is a need to cope with additional passengers travelling to and from expanded or growing airports. Where the scheme has a wider range of beneficiaries, the Government will consider, along with other relevant stakeholders, the need for additional public funding on a case-by-case basis. Through the Aviation Strategy the government is reviewing the effectiveness of the current policy and guidance, and considering how co-ordination between government processes for transport access improvements and airport plans may be improved.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Costs

Dame Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the correspondence on the costs of High Speed Two between (a) himself, (b) Ministers in his Department and (c) officials in his Department and Mark Thurston, Chief Executive of High Speed Two since Mr Thurston's appointment as Chief Executive.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: No. We do not routinely publish correspondence between Ministers, officials and third parties.

Railways: Trade Unions

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to facilitate dialogue between the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers and Northern Rail.

Joseph Johnson: Whilst disputes with Trade Unions are a matter for the Train Operating Company, the Secretary of State has met the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers on a number of occasions in an attempt to facilitate a resolution. In particular to this he has offered the affected members of the Union in Northern (and the other train companies where the union is also in dispute) guarantees of employment beyond the length of these franchises, if this will allow RMT to brings its disputes over Driver Controlled Operation to an end. Unfortunately, the trade union has not acted upon these offers.

Shipping

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to Table SFR0303 of his Department's statistical release, Seafarers in the UK Shipping Industry: 2017, published on 30 May 2018, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the increase in the number of seafarer Ratings of unknown nationality from 2015 to 2017.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The statistics in table SFR0303 are derived from information collected from members of the UK Chamber of Shipping via an annual manpower survey. The number of seafarers whose nationality is unknown will fluctuate depending on the completeness of the data returned by those responding to this survey.

Shipping

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department's statistical release, Seafarers in the UK Shipping Industry: 2017, published on 30 May 2018, how many member companies of the UK Chamber of Shipping did not provide employment data for inclusion in that statistical release.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The 2017 UK Chamber of Shipping manpower survey was issued to 90 companies, with around 95% of these providing a response of some form. In some cases, companies did not provide employment data as they do not have seafarers within scope of the survey.

Shipping

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to Table SFR0302 of his Department's statistical release,  Seafarers in the UK Shipping Industry: 2017, published on 30 May 2018, what the average age is of (a) female and (b) male Ratings working at sea.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Based on the latest statistics, which relate to the end of June 2017, the average age of UK ratings active at sea and employed by members of the UK Chamber of Shipping was 33 for female ratings and 45 for male ratings.

Railways: Pay and Incentives

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what input his Department has on performance related pay and bonuses for senior staff at (a) network rail, (b) Govia Thameslink Railway and (c) Arriva Rail North.

Joseph Johnson: Under the terms of the Framework Agreement between the Department for Transport and Network Rail, the Remuneration Policy for the reward and incentivisation of Executive Directors is subject to approval by the Secretary of State for Transport. Network Rail uses a Balanced Scorecard approach for its Management Incentive Plan. The Scorecard metrics are agreed with the Secretary of State ahead of each performance year. The Department for Transport has no input on performance related pay and bonuses for senior staff at Govia Thameslink Railway or Arriva Rail North.

Network Rail and Northern: Standards

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the performance penalty to be paid by (a) Network Rail and (b) Northern Rail as a result of recent disruption to the network.

Joseph Johnson: Network Rail is subject to the independent Office of Rail and Road’s regulatory regime. The calculation of any sums payable from or to the Northern franchisee that are incurred under the performance regime do not take place until after the end of each franchise year, which ends on 31st March.

Northern: Compensation

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing an enhanced compensation scheme for passengers affected by recent Northern Rail disruption; and if he will make a statement.

Joseph Johnson: Passengers are encouraged to claim delay repay compensation on all affected journeys. In addition to normal compensation methods the Secretary of State announced in the House that the rail industry will fund a special compensation scheme to ensure that regular rail users receive adequate redress for the disruption they have experienced. More detail of the eligibility requirements and how season ticket holders can claim will be announced soon.

Railways

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much the Rail Delivery Group spent on (a) consultants, (b) advisors and (c) advertising as part of their Britain Runs on Rail/Partnership Railway campaign.

Joseph Johnson: The Rail Delivery Group (RDG) is a private company funded by its members. The Department for Transport is not required to approve funding for RDG activities and therefore does not hold any information with regards to the funding of this campaign.

Network Rail: Property

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many businesses occupying Network Rail properties due to be sold have received rent rises in excess of (a) 100 per cent, (b) 200 per cent, (c) 300 per cent and (d) 500 per cent in each of the last three years.

Joseph Johnson: The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Network Rail: Retail Trade

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much Network Rail's Commercial Estate business made in profit in each year since 2010.

Joseph Johnson: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given by the then Rail Minister, my Hon Friend, the Hon Member for Blackpool North and Cleveleys (Paul Maynard) on 18 December 2017 (UIN 119288).

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

World War II: Compensation

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 3 May to Question 139444 on World War 2: compensation, what consultations his Department had with veterans ahead of the decision to sign the Treaty of Final Settlement.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​Records on this are not readily available. To find this information would incur disproportionate cost.

Afghanistan: Taliban

Leo Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the likelihood of a peace deal between the Government of Afghanistan and the Taliban; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Field: On 7 June, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani announced a unilateral, temporary Eid ceasefire. We welcome and support this initiative to try and reduce violence. We hope that the Taleban will join the ceasefire.This follows President Ghani's offer to the Taleban of peace talks without preconditions. He made this bold offer in February at the meeting of the Kabul Process for Peace and Security Cooperation. He invited the Taleban to contribute to creating a political process to resolve the conflict. Regional states and the international community endorsed this offer.We believe it is now for the Taleban to respond. They have talked publicly about desiring peace for Afghanistan. If they wish to play a political role in the country's future, and if they share the goals of stability and security for its population, they must enter a political process.The British Government believes that a political solution is the only way to achieve lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan. This long term effort will require careful diplomacy, difficult decisions and compromises on all sides. We should not expect a quick breakthrough. We will continue to support the Afghan people as they seek the peace they so deserve.

Andargachew Tsege

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support the return to the UK of Andy Tsege.

Harriett Baldwin: On 29 May, Andargachew Tsege was released from Kality prison in Addis Ababa to his family living in Ethiopia. With the assistance of Foreign and Commonwealth Office staff in Addis Ababa and London, Mr Tsege returned to the UK on 1 June where he was reunited with his partner and children.

Sudan: Peace Negotiations

Sir Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of progress on the UK-Sudan strategic dialogue; and if he will make a statement.

Harriett Baldwin: The fifth round of the UK-Sudan Strategic Dialogue took place in Khartoum on 24 April. The Strategic Dialogue provides an important platform to raise issues of bilateral interest between the UK and Sudan. Key achievements of our phased engagement so far include influencing the Sudanese decision to open a humanitarian corridor to famine-hit areas of South Sudan, joint work on migration projects, and a commitment to engage on economic reform. The Dialogue also provides an additional forum to raise our human rights concerns with the Sudanese Government, alongside our continued efforts through international mechanisms and civil society.The Communique of the Fifth Round of the Strategic Dialogue is available on the British Government's website.

Sudan: Religious Freedom

Sir Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of respect for freedom of religion or belief in Sudan.

Harriett Baldwin: Sudan remains a Human Rights Priority Country for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), and we are deeply concerned about infringements and restrictions on freedom of religion or belief. We are considering ways that FCO programme funding could help to promote freedom of religion or belief in Sudan. We raised our concerns with the government during the UK-Sudan Strategic Dialogue on 24 April and will continue to do so as part of our ongoing bilateral engagement.

Burma: Rohingya

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in the US Administration on its assessment of crimes committed against Rohingyas in Myanmar.

Mark Field: In recent weeks officials have actively debated the nature of the crimes committed against the Rohingya, and options for accountability, with their US counterparts, both bilaterally and through the International Atrocity Prevention Working Group. The Foreign Secretary and Acting US Secretary of State called for a clear pathway to accountability, with their counterparts, at the G7 Foreign Ministers meeting of 22-23 April.

Developing Countries: Minerals

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help prevent the mining and trading of conflict minerals overseas.

Mark Field: The UK does not regard the mining and trading of 3TG (tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold, also known as "conflict minerals") as problematic in itself. These minerals are key components for modern technology. Under the right conditions, the mining of these minerals can build both prosperity and security for local communities. However, there is also a risk that their mining can be linked to a range of deplorable practices from human rights abuses to illicit financing of conflict.It is these risks that the UK is committed to addressing by encouraging compliance with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Mineral Supply Chains from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas. The implementation of this guidance will be made mandatory for the biggest importers in the EU via the EU Regulation on the Responsible Sourcing of Conflict Minerals. This will come into force in January 2021.The UK will continue to implement this regulation after leaving the EU as it will be rolled over into UK Law via the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill. The Department for Buiness Energy and Industrial Strategy will act as the UK's Competent Authority, monitoring the implementation of the regulation in the UK.In addition to direct action via the EU Regulation, the UK supports the European Partnership for Responsible Minerals (EPRM). This is a multi-stakeholder initiative consisting of governments, civil society and the private sector that is recognised by the EU as an official "accompanying measure" to the EU Regulation. The EPRM aims to increase the proportion of "responsibly sourced minerals" by operating along the full length of the supply chain, from building capability to implement the EU Regulation amongst EU business, to providing funding for projects aimed at improving conditions and building capability at minesites to enable them operate in a way consistent with OECD Due Diligence Guidelines. Further detail is available at https://europeanpartnership-responsibleminerals.eu/.

Overseas Trade: Occupied Territories

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 18 April 2018 to Question 135452 on Overseas Trade: Occupied Territories, what criteria the Government uses to distinguish between Israel and the Occupied Territories under UN Resolution 2334.

Alistair Burt: We distinguish between the State of Israel within the 1948 armistice lines and the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967.

Overseas Trade: Occupied Territories

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 3 April 2018 to Question 133853 on Overseas Trade: Occupied Territories, how the Government’s policy to allow individual companies to decide whether to operate in the Occupied Territories is in compliance with UN resolution 2334.

Alistair Burt: The UK voted for this resolution because of our support for the two-state solution and commitment to Israel as the Jewish homeland. It has long been our position that Israeli settlement activity is illegal and undermines the viability of two states for two peoples. We advise British businesses to bear in mind the British Government's view on the illegality of settlements under international law when considering their investments and activities in the region. This is in line with our commitments, as set out in the resolution.

Israel: Visits Abroad

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many ministerial visits have been conducted to Israel in (a) 2017 and (b) 2018 to date.

Alistair Burt: ​The following ministers have made official visits to Israel in 2017 and 2018 to date: (a) Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Boris Johnson, Minister of State for International Development Rory Stewart, Minister of State for Trade Policy, Lord Price CVO, and Minister for the Middle East and North Africa Alistair Burt. (b) Minister of State for the Commonwealth and the UN, Lord Ahmad Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation, Sam Gyimah, Minister for the Middle East and North Africa, Alistair Burt.

Israel: Military Exercises

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the role of the Israeli navy in the enforcement of the blockade against Gaza.

Alistair Burt: While we have not made any specific assessment on this issue, we continue to call on the Government of Israel to ease movement and access restrictions into and out of Gaza.

Syria: Turkey

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether UK-supplied military equipment has been used by Turkey in its operations in Afrin; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Alan Duncan: We cannot categorically state that UK weapons are not in use in Turkish military operations in Afrin, Northern Syria, but all decisions to approve export licenses are assessed rigorously against the Consolidated Criteria and according to the latest information available at that time. We keep our approach to all countries under continual review.

India: Pakistan

Mr Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that the recent ceasefire between India and Pakistan (a) lasts and (b) marks the beginning of a peace process in the region.

Mark Field: The Government is concerned by recent reports of high levels of firing and shelling between Indian and Pakistani troops over the Line of Control in Kashmir. We continue to follow developments closely, encourage dialogue and call for both sides to exercise restraint. The UK's longstanding position is that it is for India and Pakistan to find a lasting political resolution to the situation in Kashmir, taking into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people. It is not for the UK to prescribe a solution or to act as a mediator. We welcome recent contact between Indian and Pakistani militaries in an effort to reduce firing over the Line of Control.

Rendition

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much was paid from the public purse to the al Saadi family in compensation for rendition and torture.

Alistair Burt: The final compensation figure to Mr Al Saadi and his family was £2.23 million. The settlement did not include any admission of liability.

Rendition

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what legal costs the public purse incurred as a result of the the Belhaj and al Saadi cases.

Alistair Burt: ​The total cost payable to the Government Legal Department and counsel for representation of all the Defendants in the Belhaj case since the claim was brought in 2012 is approximately £3 million. This figure includes an estimated to cover a number of charges that have not yet been invoiced. The legal cost for the Al Saadi case was minimal, as it was settled in 2012 at a very early stage of the legal proceedings.

Rendition

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs agreed to meet the legal expenses incurred by the al Saadi Family and Abde​​l Hakim Belhaj and Fatima Boudchar.

Alistair Burt: ​The Government agreed to pay reasonable legal costs in respect of the Belhaj and Al Saadi cases.

Rendition

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will publish the written defences presented by the Government in the cases of both the al Saadi family and Abdul Hakim Belhaj and Fatima Boudchar.

Alistair Burt: The Al Saadi case did not progress to the stage where the Government presented a written defence. The Government has no plans to publish its written defence for the Belhaj case. This case was subject to a declaration under Section 6 of the Justice and Security Act 2013 which permitted a Closed Material Procedure for reasons of national security.

Rendition

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, on what date the resolution process referred to in his oral statement of 10 May 2018, Official Report, column 936, began.

Alistair Burt: ​Mr Belhaj and Mrs Boudchar brought their claim against the Government in 2012. The Government's decision to seek to settle a case will take into account a range of factors. It is not appropriate to comment on the conduct of litigation strategy in any individual case.

Rendition

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, who initiated the resolution referred to in his oral statement of 10 May 2018, on Belhaj and Boudchar: Litigation Update, Official Report, column 936.

Alistair Burt: ​The Government's decision to seek to settle a case will take into account a range of factors. It is not appropriate for us to comment on the conduct of litigation in any individual case.

Rendition

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the legal fees incurred by the Government were in the Belhaj rendition case from (a) the initiation of the claim until the commencement of legal proceedings and (b) the commencement of the resolution process until the final agreement resolving the case.

Alistair Burt: The total cost payable to the Government Legal Department and counsel for representation of all the Defendants in the Belhaj case since the claim was brought in 2012 is approximately £3million. This figure includes an estimated amount, to cover a number of charges that have not yet been invoiced. The Government's decision to seek to settle a case will take into account a range of factors. It is not appropriate for us to comment on the conduct of litigation strategy in any individual case. The Government reserves the right to pursue approaches to its conduct of any simultaneously, therefore we are not able to delineate legal costs in the way you have requested.

Rendition

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether financial assistance was given by the Government to Sir Mark Allen and the right hon. Jack Straw in relation to the conduct of their defences in the Belhaj case.

Alistair Burt: Yes. It is established practice that if legal action is instigated relating to Government decisions or actions when then Government will normally defend those who were acting on its behalf if they are separately named. This applies to serving ministers and civil servants as well as those who are no longer in office.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Non-departmental Public Bodies

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many (a) women and (b) men his Department has appointed to each of its non-Departmental Public Bodies in each of the last five years.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Commissioner for Public Appointments completes and publishes an annual data survey of all new appointments and reappointments made to boards of public bodies by Government including the overall gender diversity.Data on the gender diversity of new non-executive appointees to public boards for 2012 to 2015 are published on Gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/diversity-in-public-appointmentsIn the last five years, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office has appointed 27 people (11 women and 16 men) to its five Non-Departmental Public Bodies (Wilton Park, British Council, Westminster for Democracy, Great Britain China Centre and Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission).

Bangladesh: Violence

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many of the recommendations set out by the British High Commission in Dhaka and his Department's Preventing Sexual Violence in their Conflict Initiative in the Bangladesh Sexual and Gender Based Violence Assessment from November 2017 the Government has implemented.

Mark Field: The assessment carried out by two deployable civilian experts in Bangladesh in November 2017 provided valuable recommendations on political engagement; international coordination; support for survivors; evidence gathering; prevention of further crimes including sexual violence; and human trafficking. The FCO and DFID are working closely together and with domestic and international partners in order to implement all of the recommendations We regularly engage with the Government of Bangladesh on the response to the crisis, both at ministerial and official level. DFID has deployed expert advisers who are strengthening sectoral and inter-sectoral coordination, including by funding the UN gender-based violence coordinator based in Dhaka. DFID's implementing partners are providing lighting at household level as well as lighting in water, sanitation and hygiene facilities and other areas of the camps.In March, the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative (PSVI) Team of Experts carried out initial capacity building on evidence gathering in line with the International Protocol on the Documentation and Investigation of Sexual Violence in Conflict. Further UK PSVI Team of Expert deployments are scheduled in July focusing on mapping and coordination of evidence gathering to date. This mapping will inform further capacity building later in the year which will support Bangladeshi evidence gatherers on investigation and documentation of sexual violence according to international standards.

Guatemala: Overseas Aid

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assistance the Government has given to Guatemala as a result of the volcanic eruption of early June 2018.

Sir Alan Duncan: Her Majesty's Government regrets the devastation and loss of life following the latest eruptions of Fuego Volcano. We have expressed our sincere condolences to those who have lost loved ones, the injured and the displaced.The UK stands ready to support Guatemala as it responds to this tragedy. We are providing funds for the emergency response in Guatemala through the Start Fund. Teams in the UK are providing support with satellite imaging and hazard mapping of the volcano, which we hope will aid risk assessments and search and rescue efforts. We have offered further assistance to the Guatemalan Government if required.

North Korea: USA

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with US counterpart on the US-North Korea summit planned for 12 June 2018.

Mark Field: The Foreign Secretary regularly discusses the DPRK with his US counterpart and did so most recently on 6 June. I last spoke with Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan on 24 May. We have both outlined UK support for the 12 June summit and ongoing US efforts to secure the denuclearisation of the DPRK.

Nicaragua: Human Rights

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with Nicaragua counterpart on the human rights situation in that country.

Sir Alan Duncan: The United Kingdom remains deeply concerned about the situation in Nicaragua. Our Embassy in Costa Rica, which is accredited to Nicaragua, has been following developments closely. The UK was part of EU messages of condemnation and the British Ambassador to Nicaragua released a statement on 5 June calling for an end to the violence. He urged the authorities to protect human rights and thoroughly investigate all human rights abuses.The Head of Latin America Department met the Nicaraguan Presidential Adviser on International Relations and Policy on 29 May and 5 June to deliver the same messages.For stability to return, the inclusive national dialogue promised by the authorities should resume under peaceful conditions, with full respect for freedom of expression. We have been clear on both points with the Nicaraguan Government.

Yemen: Armed Conflict

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the Saudi-led coalition's compliance with international humanitarian law in relation to the conflict in Yemen.

Alistair Burt: We regularly raise, at the highest levels, the importance of compliance with International Humanitarian Law (IHL) with Saudi Arabia. The UK takes allegations of IHL violations extremely seriously. We encourage the Saudi-led Coalition to ensure that any such allegations are thoroughly investigated. Saudi Arabia has publicly stated that it is investigating reports of alleged violations of IHL, and that lessons will be acted upon. The Coalition has the best insight into its own military procedures and is able to conduct the most thorough and conclusive investigations. This also allows the coalition to really understand what may have gone wrong and apply any lessons learnt in the best possible way. The Coalition Joint Incidents Assessment Team has announced the findings of a total of 55 investigations, with the most recent released on 5 March.

Yemen: Armed Conflict

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to (a) protect and (b) support civilians in Yemen; and what recent estimate he has made of the number of civilian casualties in that country since the conflict began.

Alistair Burt: ​We continue to call on all sides to the conflict to respect International Humanitarian Law (IHL). We are aware of reports of alleged violations of IHL by actors in the conflict and take these very seriously. It is important that credible allegations of violations of IHL are investigated.Addressing the continuing humanitarian crisis is a top priority for this Government. In 2017/18 the Government committed £205 million in aid to Yemen, making the UK the third largest humanitarian donor to Yemen, and the second largest to the UN appeal. We prioritised life-saving interventions including food and nutrition support to 1.7 million people and clean water and sanitation for an expected 1.2 million people. On 3 April, we announced an additional £170 million in response to the humanitarian crisis in Yemen for 2018/2019. This funding will meet the immediate food needs of 2.5 million Yemenis, and comes on top of over £400 million in bilateral support since the conflict began in 2015.We do not maintain records of casualty figures for the conflict in Yemen. Gathering data is extremely challenging considering the complexities of the situation and the challenges faced by humanitarian monitors across the country. Estimates by the UN and NGOs vary considerably.

Members: Correspondence

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he plans to respond to the letter of 10 May 2018 from the hon. Member for Greenwich and Woolwich on the White Helmets (Syria Civil Defence): level of support.

Alistair Burt: A response was sent on 6 June, five working days before the 20 day target as published in the Cabinet Office annual correspondence report.

Israel: Palestinians

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 4 June 2018 to Question 146721 on UK arms sales to Israel, whether the UK Government (a) has made representations to and (b) sought reassurances from the Government of Israel on the use of arms exported from the UK against unarmed protesters in Gaza.

Alistair Burt: Whilst we have not raised this issue with the Israeli authorities, we continue to assess export licence applications on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated Criteria. The Government takes its defence export responsibilities extremely seriously and we have been keeping the situation in Israel under review. We have no information to suggest that UK supplied equipment has been used against protesters in Gaza.

Hurricanes and Tornadoes

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what lessons his Department has learnt following its work as a result of Hurricane Irma.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) led an effective and rapid response to the unprecedented impact of Hurricane Irma in the Caribbean. As is standard practice for our response to all crises, a lessons learned process took place led by the FCO and involved a range of Government Departments. To maintain the integrity of future 'lessons learned' processes, we do not propose to share the results of these exercises outside of Government as it is important that the FCO is able to reflect on lessons learned internally as part of our crisis management process. We have made and continue to make progress in implementing the actions identified in preparation for the 2018 Hurricane season.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Staff

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many staff are employed in the Overseas Territories Directorate in his Department; and if he will publish that same information by (a) rank and (b) duty.

Sir Alan Duncan: Overseas Territories Directorate employs 59 members of staff as follows:1 x SMS2 Grade Director4 x SMS1 Grade Team Leaders with responsibility for Brexit, hurricane recovery and our interests in both the inhabited and non-inhabited territories3 x D7 Grade with responsibility for economics, child safeguarding and programme fund management12 x D6 Grade with responsibility for leading on policy across the Overseas Territories, programme fund management and business management work7 x C5 Grade with responsibility for policy support across the Overseas Territories and programme fund management17 x C4 Grade with responsibility for policy support across the Overseas Territories and programme fund management11 x B3 Grade with responsibility for special projects, financial management and policy support5 x A2 Grade support staff

Caribbean: Overseas Aid

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the aims and objectives of the Government are in the Caribbean region.

Sir Alan Duncan: The UK is committed to developing its strong partnership with the Caribbean by working on our shared priorities with Caribbean countries, British Overseas Territories and regional institutions.These priorities are: supporting the recovery of those affected by last year's hurricanes, climate change and building resilience against hurricanes; ; enhancing regional security; tackling serious and organised crime and strengthening our trading relationship with the countries of CARIFORUM.To support this work the Foreign Secretary has announced that four new diplomatic posts will be opened in Commonwealth Caribbean countries (Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Grenada and St Vincent and the Grenadines).

British Overseas Territories

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which countries the Overseas Territories Directorate in his Department is responsible for.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Overseas Territories Directorate is responsible for the following British Overseas Territories:AnguillaBermudaBritish Antarctic TerritoryBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryCayman IslandsFalkland IslandsMontserratPitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and OenoSt Helena, Ascension and Tristan da CunhaSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich islands (SGSSI)Turks and Caicos IslandsVirgin Islands (commonly known as British Virgin Islands)

Iran: Polisario Front

Sir Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on the substance of allegations made by the Government of Morocco that Iran has provided arms and assistance to the Polisario Front through Hezbollah.

Alistair Burt: The UK has consistently raised with Iran longstanding concerns about destabilising activity by Iran and its proxies in other countries. I refer to the Foreign Secretary's similar comment in the House on 9 May after his statement on the Iran nuclear deal, when Rehman Chisti asked about Morocco's diplomatic relations with Iran.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Official Engagements

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will list the official engagements he plans to undertake outside the UK up to the summer recess 2018.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​It has been the policy of successive governments not to publicise itemised details of Ministers' forthcoming travel plans.

Mexico: Prosperity Fund

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Boris Johnson announces new prosperity programming for Mexico, published on 19 October 2017, how the £60 million prosperity fund for Mexico is being spent.

Sir Alan Duncan: The £60 million Prosperity Fund in Mexico, currently undergoing a cross-Government assurance process, will help make Mexico’s economy more inclusive by reforming the energy sector, simplifying the business environment, and increasing access to financial services. Further detail on what the programme can use funding for can be found on the government website: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/prosperity-fund-market-engagement-in-mexico

Razan Ashraf al-Najjar

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Israeli counterpart on the reported killing of nurse Razan Ashraf Al Najjar by the Israeli military.

Alistair Burt: Officials from the British Embassy in Tel Aviv raised our concern about this case with the relevant Israeli authorities on 1 June. The Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary expressed their concern about the loss of Palestinian lives in the recent protests in Gaza when they met Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu in London on 6 June.

Israel: Palestinians

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he has taken to push for an independent investigation into the recent deaths of Palestinians by the Israeli military.

Alistair Burt: ​The Prime Minster stressed the need for Israel to carry out a transparent, independent inquiry into recent protests in Gaza when she met Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu in London on 6 June.

Press Freedom

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the press release, Foreign Secretary announces free speech funding, published by his Department on 2 November 2017, in which countries the funding for press freedom is being spent.

Mark Field: Under the Magna Carta Fund the FCO has allocated over £1.5m for projects on media freedom and freedom of expression this year. The allocation to specific projects and countries is still being decided, but NGOs will be invited to bid to run projects that support a free media. Further money is available for press freedom through the Good Governance Fund, which covers Armenia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Georgia, Macedonia, Moldova, Serbia and Ukraine, and through the Conflict Stability and Security Fund.

Department for International Development

Middle East: Overseas Aid

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much her Department has spent on aid projects in Israel and Palestine since it was established.

Alistair Burt: Historical data going as far back as 1997 on donor spend is held by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (DAC). To investigate the data further please see their Query Wizard for International Development Statistics (QWIDS): http://stats.oecd.org/qwids/. A summary of the data is provided below: OECD DAC figures (USD millions) for United Kingdom Official Development Assistance (ODA) disbursements in the West Bank and Gaza 1997 - 20161997199819992000200120022003200420052006$10.16$8.85$10.68$14.69$17.01$23.77$31.11$29.45$23.52$35.09 2007200820092010201120122013201420152016$22.45$68.18$94.88$97.63$121.11$67.96$108.63$137.24$78.58$30.67Source: OECD Query Wizard for International Development Statistics Due to the way in which the OECD collects data, these figures do not include UK funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) and include funding from all Government Departments, not just DFID. Additionally, the OECD figures above are based only on ODA disbursements whereas figures published by DFID are reported as net ODA which takes into account any ODA refunds/repayments. DFID’s programmes fall under the regulations of ODA; projects solely based in Israel are not eligible for, and do not receive ODA.

Cameroon: Humanitarian Aid

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what humanitarian assistance her Department is providing to (a) refugees and (b) displaced persons in Cameroon.

Harriett Baldwin: We are providing at least £5 million in humanitarian assistance this year in Cameroon to refugees and internally displaced persons as a result of the Lake Chad Basin crisis, and to refugees from the Central African Republic. This includes basic support in nutrition, health, food security and livelihoods.

Caribbean: Hurricanes and Tornadoes

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what lessons her Department has learnt from it's work following Hurricane Irma.

Alistair Burt: DFID is working closely with FCO, MoD and other departments to incorporate the lessons learned from hurricanes Irma and Maria and ensure a stronger collective response to any hurricane this year. This includes more effective coordination and communication with partners and regional countries and structures, clearer guidance on command and control structures, and an improved crisis response framework which identifies the roles and responsibilities of all involved departments. Activities are on-going and there is a DFID mission currently in the region to further assess and support maximum preparedness for 2018.

Developing Countries: Technology

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support her Department gives to legislators overseas to increase their capacity effectively to regulate the growing technology and digital trade sectors in their countries.

Harriett Baldwin: DFID’s Digital Strategy puts technology at the heart of its future aid offer, including by providing support to developing economies to make the most of digital opportunities.On digital trade specifically, at the World Trade Organisation’s 11th Ministerial Conference the government supported the statement signed by 71 members to make digital trade easier across the world. These discussions are open to all members and recognise the specific challenges faced by developing countries.At the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in April, the UK and other Commonwealth member states adopted a Declaration on the Commonwealth Connectivity Agenda for Trade and Investment, with the goal of expanding investment and boosting intra-Commonwealth trade to US$2 trillion by 2030. Also, the Secretary of State, alongside the President of Kenya, launched a Digital Finance Champions Group to drive innovation to improve financial access for the most vulnerable people in societies.

Department for Education

Education: North of England

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding has been allocated from the public purse to the Northern Powerhouse Education Fund in each year since it was established; and what estimate he has made of the level of funding from the public purse to that Fund in each of the next three financial years.

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much and what proportion of funding for the Northern Powerhouse Education Fund has been spent in each year since the fund was established.

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding each (a) project, (b) organisation and (c) initiative received from the Northern Powerhouse Education Fund; and in what year that funding was allocated.

Nadhim Zahawi: Holding answer received on 14 May 2018



We are committed to supporting areas that are facing the greatest challenges, wherever they exist. As part of the 2016 Northern Powerhouse Schools Strategy, the government committed £70 million to support educational improvement in the north, up to the end of March 2020. Since that announcement, the government has spent or committed significantly more than £70 million to support educational improvement in the north. This spend includes a range of policies, some of which are additional for and only happening in the north, some of which are additional spend on existing policies in the north, and some of which represent the northern element of some key national funds. The attached table breaks this down by project and financial year. As well as the investment set out in the table, there will also be investment in the north through the Teaching and Leadership Innovation Fund (TLIF). TLIF providers have reported as at 30 April 2018 that approximately 130 schools and 2,250 teachers and leaders have been recruited across the north of England and will benefit from the bespoke continuing professional development programmes being delivered. Therefore as at 30 April 2018, DfE has allocated over £3.1 million of TLIF funding over the three financial years (2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20) to support schools across the north of England. We expect further investment in the north through the Teaching and Leadership Innovation Fund during the financial years 2018-19 and 2019-20.The following providers, funded via the first procurement round of the Teaching and Leadership Innovation Fund, cover schools in the north:Ruth Miskin TrainingTeacher Development TrustEdison LearningSTEM LearningTeach FirstInstitute of PhysicsInstitute for Teaching



140737_140738_140739_Supporting_Education_Improve
(PDF Document, 343.91 KB)

Education: North of England

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what applications have been made to date to the Northern Powerhouse Education fund.

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding has been spent in what areas and on which projects from the Northern Powerhouse Education Fund.

Nadhim Zahawi: Holding answer received on 11 May 2018



I refer the hon. Member to the answer I have given today to Questions UIN 140737, 140738 and 140739.

Education: North of England

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the attainment gap between students from the North and South of England.

Nadhim Zahawi: Holding answer received on 21 May 2018



The department is working to improve education standards right across the country. 1.9 million more children are in good or outstanding schools than in 2010, record numbers of young people are in education or training and more disadvantaged pupils are going to university. Furthermore, the attainment gap between 16-year-olds who are disadvantaged and those who are not has closed by 10% since 2011.There is more to do, which is why the government’s Northern Powerhouse Strategy is investing over £70 million in education outcomes in the north. This includes £12 million as part of a commitment to establish a national network of English Hubs with a specific focus on improving early language and literacy, expanding the reach of the Maths Hubs network to spread excellence in maths teaching and a £5 million scheme trialling projects to provide practical tools and advice to help parents improve children’s vocabulary.Furthermore, through the £72 million Opportunity Areas programme, the department is targeting local and national resource in five areas in the north - Blackpool, Bradford, Doncaster, North Yorkshire Coast and Oldham - facing social mobility challenges to drive improved outcomes for children and young people.

Students: Fees and Charges

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Government plans to allow UK citizens currently residing in the EU to qualify for home-student tuition fees after the UK has left the EU.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Generally, to be eligible for student support from Student Finance England, a student should be resident in England, have ‘settled’ status, on the first day of the first academic year of the course and must have been resident in the UK and Islands (Channel Islands and the Isle of Man) for the three years prior to that date. The three year residency period should not have been “wholly or mainly” for the purpose of receiving full time education. The requirements for home fee status where students are studying in England are broadly similar. There are some, limited exceptions to these general principles.There are currently specific provisions in the rules that provide access to student support for persons who hold settled status in the UK and have left England to exercise a right of residence elsewhere in the Economic European Area (EEA) or Switzerland.The rules on eligibility for student finance support for UK nationals who are currently residing in the EEA and Switzerland, and who commence courses in England after the UK has left the EU, are under consideration.

Higher Education: Doncaster North

Edward Miliband: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people from the Doncaster North constituency entered higher education institutions in the latest year for which figures are available; and how that figure compares with other constituencies.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Higher Education Statistics Agency collects and publishes statistics on students enrolled at UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The latest statistics available refer to the 2016/17 academic year and are available at the following link: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/news/11-01-2018/sfr247-higher-education-student-statistics.The table below provides counts of entrants to higher education courses at UK HEIs who were living in the Doncaster North parliamentary constituency prior to commencing their studies.  Entrants to higher education domiciled in Doncaster North constituency prior to their studies, by level of study UK Higher Education Institutions Academic year 2016/17 Doncaster North parliamentary constituencyPostgraduate (research)10Postgraduate (taught)150First degree430Other undergraduate60Total6551) Figures in this table are rounded to the nearest multiple of five; figures may not sum to totals.2) Constituency is derived from the student's postcode prior to study.  The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service publish data on the proportion of 18 year olds entering full-time undergraduate higher education from each parliamentary constituency. The latest data is contained in Figure 4.8 of their 2017 End of Cycle report: https://www.ucas.com/file/137236/download?token=LtrRkIaK.For the 2017 application cycle, the entry rate for 18 year olds from Doncaster North constituency to full-time undergraduate study was 21.1%. This compares to an entry rate for England of 33.3%.

Young People: Unemployment

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will take steps to reduce the number of young people not in education, employment or training in the East Midlands.

Anne Milton: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

National Vocational Qualifications: East Midlands

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of pupils achieved a NVQ3+ or equivalent in (a) Mansfield, (b) Nottinghamshire and (c) East Midlands in 2017.

Anne Milton: Statistics for Mansfield constituency are not available but the number and percentage of students achieving level 3 qualifications at a local authority and regional level in 2016/17 is published online[1],[2]. The figures for students[3] obtaining at least 2 substantial level 3 qualifications[4],[5] by the end of their 16-18 study[6] are provided below:GeographyNumber of level 3 studentsAchieving at least 2 substantial level 3 qualifications (%)Nottinghamshire local authority4,74878.4East Midlands region30,76579.5England (state-funded sector)4389,78483.6 [1] For students at the end of their 16-18 study, who achieved a level 3 qualification during their study: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/a-level-and-other-16-to-18-results-2016-to-2017-revised (Open the ‘local authority tables’ and then tab ‘9a all’. For achievement in all level 3 qualifications use columns D, E and F.[2] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/level-2-and-3-attainment-by-young-people-aged-19-in-2017.[3] Covers students aged 16, 17 or 18 at the start of the 2016/17 academic year, i.e. 31 August 2016.[4] Covers students at the end of advanced level study who were entered for at least one academic qualification equal in size to at least half (0.5) an A level or an extended project (size 0.3), or applied general or Tech level qualification during their 16-18 study.[5] Substantial level 3 qualifications are defined as qualifications that are at least the size of an A level (180 guided learning hours per year), such as a BTEC subsidiary diploma level 3. If a qualification is equal in size to two A levels it is counted as two substantial level 3 qualifications.[6] Covers all state-funded mainstream schools, academies, free schools, city technology colleges, state-funded special schools and FE sector colleges. Excludes pupil referral units, alternative provision, hospital schools, non-maintained special schools, other government department funded colleges, independent schools, independent special schools and independent schools approved to take pupils with special educational needs.

Schools: Asbestos

Meg Hillier: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many incidents of asbestos released in schools were reported to his Department in each year between September 2011 and September 2017; how many school staff and pupils have been exposed in such incidents; and what action was taken by the Heath and Safety Executive in relation to those incidents.

Nick Gibb: The safety of children is paramount. The Department has taken significant steps in recent years to strengthen schools’ approach to managing asbestos. Since 2015, £5.6 billion has been invested to improve and maintain school buildings, including removing or encapsulating asbestos where appropriate. In addition, the £4.4 billion Priority School Building Program is rebuilding or refurbishing those school buildings in the very worst condition. The Department does not hold data on the areas requested. If an incident of this nature is brought to the Department’s attention the person raising the incident would be redirected to the appropriate responsible body and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The HSE has confirmed that the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 require incidents be reported to them, where a work activity causes the accidental release or escape of asbestos fibres into the air in a quantity sufficient to cause damage to the health of any person. Incidents reported to the HSE are selected for investigation in accordance with incident selection criteria: http://www.hse.gov.uk/enforce/incidselcrits.pdf. HSE enquiries seek to ensure action is taken to control any immediate risk and that all relevant duty holders ensure effective controls are in place to reduce the likelihood of further similar failings. Enforcement action in respect of any compliance shortfalls is taken in accordance with the HSE’s published Enforcement Policy Statement: http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/hse41.pdf.

Schools: Nottinghamshire

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding his Department allocated to schools in Nottinghamshire in the 2017-18 financial year.

Nick Gibb: Nationally, core funding for schools and high needs has risen from almost £41 billion in 2017/18 to £42.4 billion this year, and will rise again to £43.5 billion in 2019/20.Allocations to all local authorities for the 2017-18 financial year can be viewed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2017-to-2018. Schools in Nottinghamshire were allocated £459 million in the 2017/18 financial year.  From 2018/19, local authorities’ funding for schools is determined by the national funding formula. Schools in Nottinghamshire were allocated £469 million in the 2017/19 financial year.

Design and Technology: GCSE

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to increase take-up of design and technology alongside the EBacc; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: Design and technology (D&T) is an important part of a broad and balanced curriculum. Over 150,000 pupils in England entered a D&T GCSE at the end of Key Stage 4 in 2016 - 2017, which is over 25% of all pupils.[1] The EBacc was designed to be limited in size to let pupils continue to study additional subjects that reflect their individual interests and strengths, including D&T.The Department introduced the new D&T GCSE in September 2017. It counts towards Progress 8, the headline measure of secondary school performance. Key organisations such as the James Dyson Foundation provided input to link the new GCSE with industry practice and supported students to progress into further study and employment. The content has been updated to make D&T GCSE a rigorous subject that has a strong focus on iterative design processes.The Department also continues to provide bursaries of up to £12,000 to attract more graduates into D&T teaching. [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/revised-gcse-and-equivalent-results-in-england-2016-to-2017.

Teachers: Greater London

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the number of teachers recruited to (a) primary schools and (b) secondary schools in London in each year since 2014.

Nick Gibb: The number of new entrants to primary and secondary schools in England is published in Table 7b of the publication School Workforce in England 2016 which can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/school-workforce-in-england-november-2016.This information is national level only and covers the years 2011 to 2016.Information on the regional trends in entrant rates for state funded schools is available as part of the publication, Local Analysis of Teacher Workforce: 2010 to 2015 which is available here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/local-analysis-of-teacher-workforce-2010-to-2015.Information for primary schools is available in Table 2.3a; information for secondary schools is available in Table 2.3b. Figures are given for the years 2011 to 2015. Information for 2016 on regional rates for teacher entrants is not yet available.

Pupils: Absenteeism

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many fines were issued by his Department for non-attendance at school by children in 2017.

Nick Gibb: Penalty notices are issued to parents by schools, local authorities or the police for failing to ensure that their child, if of compulsory school age, regularly attends the state-funded school where they are registered or at the place where alternative provision is provided for them.The statistical publication “Parental Responsibility Measures in England: 2016 to 2017” includes the numbers of penalty notices issued in England in table 1. The release is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/parental-responsibility-measures-2016-to-2017-academic-year.The most recent figures cover the 2016/17 academic year.The Department collects and reports on parental responsibility measures information from schools in England only. Education statistics for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are available from the relevant departments.

Schools: Transport

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to support children in rural areas who do not have access to free school transport.

Nick Gibb: Local authorities must provide free home to school transport for eligible children. This includes providing transport for those who attend their nearest suitable school where it is beyond the statutory walking distances of 2 miles for children under 8 years old and 3 miles for those aged 8 to 16. They must also provide transport where there is no safe walking route.Local authorities also have discretionary powers to provide transport to children who are not eligible. It is for them to determine whether and how to use these powers taking account of local circumstances and affordability.

Education: Finance

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which local education authorities have top sliced funding from the Dedicated Schools Grant for services previously funded out of the general funding element of the Education Services Grant.

Nick Gibb: The Dedicated Schools Grant includes a Central School Services Block (CSSB), which is allocated to all local authorities. The CSSB includes funding previously allocated through the retained duties element of the education services grant (ESG), which covers the responsibilities held by local authorities for all schools. The general funding rate of the ESG was only for the responsibilities that local authorities held for their maintained schools. Local authorities can fund services from the maintained school budget shares, with the agreement of the maintained school members of the schools forum, to meet these responsibilities. Local authorities provide this information to the department within their authority proforma tool (APT) and, for the financial year 2018-19, 61 local authorities funded these services from their maintained school budget shares. These authorities are as follows:   Local Authority NameCamdenYorkLambethBedford BoroughSouthwarkBuckinghamshireTower HamletsDerbyshireWandsworthPooleBexleyHampshireBrentPortsmouthEalingStaffordshireHaveringSwindonHillingdonBracknell ForestHounslowWest BerkshireMertonReadingWaltham ForestCambridgeshireSandwellPeterboroughSolihullHaltonWolverhamptonTorbayKnowsleyEssexSeftonHerefordshireWirralMedwayManchesterBlackburn with DarwenTraffordBlackpoolWiganShropshireDoncasterTelford and WrekinLeedsCornwallWakefieldGloucestershireNewcastle upon TyneHertfordshireNorth SomersetIsle of WightHartlepoolSomersetRedcar and ClevelandSurreyKingston upon HullWest SussexNorth Lincolnshire

Free Schools

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the oral Statement of 17 July 2017 on Schools Update, Official Report, column 563, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's policy on free schools presumption of the 30 free schools delivered through the local authority route.

Nadhim Zahawi: On 17 July 2017 the department announced that in delivering plans for a further 140 free schools we would deliver 30, through the local authority route. Since then, we have approved 18 schools to be delivered through this route. On 11 May 2018 we published updated guidance for local authorities on the free schools presumption process. This can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/establishing-a-new-school-free-school-presumption.

Department for Education: Public Expenditure

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Oral Statement of 17 July 2017 on Schools Update, Official Report, column 563, which of his Departments' programmes will have funding reduced as a result of the decision to redirect £200 million into the core schools budget; and what the level of that reduction will be for each such programme.

Nick Gibb: In July, the Department announced that an additional £1.3 billion will be invested in core schools and high needs funding across 2018/19 and 2019/20, in addition to the schools budget set at spending review 2015. This additional investment in core schools funding will be funded in full from efficiencies, savings and emerging underspends from within the Department's budget. This funding is most valuable in the hands of head teachers and college principals.

Members: Correspondence

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when he plans to respond to the letter of 18 May from the hon. Member for Greenwich and Woolwich on The John Roan School, Royal Borough of Greenwich.

Nadhim Zahawi: Holding answer received on 07 June 2018



A response to the letter was sent to the hon. Member for Greenwich and Woolwich on 11 June 2018.

Sign Language: GCSE

Dr Paul Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing British Sign Language as a GCSE qualification.

Nick Gibb: There are no plans to introduce any new GCSEs in this Parliament, to allow schools a period of stability following the recent reforms. The Government is open to considering a proposal for a British Sign Language (BSL) GCSE for possible introduction in the longer term. The Department has indicated this to Signature, the awarding organisation proposing to develop a GCSE in BSL, and the National Deaf Children’s Society. Any new GCSE would need to meet the rigorous expectations for subject content, which are set by the Department. It would also need to meet the expectations for assessment and regulatory requirements, which are set by Ofqual, the independent qualifications regulator. The Department and Ofqual will consider carefully the merits of any proposals put forward in due course.

Pupil Exclusions: West Midlands

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the number of pupils excluded from mainstream schools in (a) West Midlands and (b) Coventry in each of the last five years.

Nick Gibb: The National Statistics release ‘Permanent and fixed-period exclusions in England 2015 to 2016’ includes numbers and rates of exclusions. The full release is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/permanent-and-fixed-period-exclusions-in-england-2015-to-2016.The local authority tables include exclusion information for Coventry, the West Midlands and England and the underlying data files include exclusion information at national, regional and local authority level from the 2006/07 academic year onwards.

Alternative Education

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the availability of alternative education provision for pupils excluded from mainstream schools.

Nick Gibb: Local authorities are responsible for arranging suitable education for permanently excluded children and for other children who, because of illness or other reasons, would not receive education without such arrangements being made. Where a child has been subject to a fixed-period exclusion of more than five school days, schools must arrange alternative provision.On 16 March 2018, the Government published Creating Opportunity for All: Our Vision for Alternative Provision, setting out how it will reform alternative provision. A key element of this is the building of a strong evidence base on alternative provision. As such, the Department has commissioned research to further understand local need for alternative provision; the availability of alternative provision placements; and the range and effectiveness of local alternative provision commissioning arrangements. The final report is due to be published in autumn 2018 and the findings will be used to inform future work strands on the reform of alternative provision.

Teachers: Qualifications

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many newly qualified teachers graduated in each year since 2010.

Nick Gibb: The Department publishes the requested data in the annual ITT Performance Profiles. Latest data relates to academic year 2015/16 and information on the number of trainee teachers gaining qualified teacher status (QTS) in each year since 2010 can be found in Table 5a of the Main Tables: SFR38/2017 of the Initial teacher training performance profiles: 2015 to 2016, at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/initial-teacher-training-performance-profiles-2015-to-2016.

Schools: Buildings

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding his Department has allocated school building improvement programmes in each year since 2010.

Nick Gibb: The Department’s total capital budget for education from 2010-11 to 2018-19 is over £46 billion, including budgeted spend for 2017-18 and 2018-19. This covers the full range of investment in capital programmes across the Department, including school building improvement programmes.Published data on capital allocations is available online at GOV.UK.

Apprentices: Taxation

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 21 May 2018 to Question 144910, on Apprentices: Taxation, if he will publish his Department's guidance on how unspent funds in apprenticeship service accounts will be used to support levy-paying employers.

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 21 May 2018 to Question 144910, on Apprentices: Taxation, what plans his Department has to ensure that levy-paying employers will spend all the funds in their apprenticeship service accounts.

Anne Milton: The Department for Education has a ring-fenced apprenticeship budget which has been set regardless of how much levy receipts are each year. This budget was set at £2.01 billion for the 2017-18 financial year and £2.23 billion for 2018/19. It is used to fund new apprenticeship starts in levy and non-levy paying employers and to cover the ongoing training costs of apprentices that are already in training. Levy-paying employers have up to 24 months in which to spend the funds available to them, with the first levy funds starting to expire in May 2019. This allows sufficient time for employers to establish apprenticeship programmes, while incentivising behaviour to drive starts and manage the department’s spend. Spending on the apprenticeship programme is demand led, and employers can choose which apprenticeships they offer, how many and when, and we do not anticipate that all employers who pay the levy will want to use all the funds in their accounts. Therefore, robust estimates of employers’ future spending and any underspends are not possible. We will publish details on aggregate apprenticeship spending in our departmental end-of-year accounts as part of our normal financial reporting cycle. To help employers we have ongoing face-to-face support for over 1,000 of the largest levy-paying employers through our national account managers, and ongoing support via telephone for small and medium-sized enterprises to encourage them to invest their levy funds through registering for an apprenticeship service account. We also encourage self-service support via comprehensive guidance on our web pages:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/apprenticeship-levy-how-it-will-work/apprenticeship-levy-how-it-will-work.https://www.gov.uk/guidance/manage-apprenticeship-funds.

Department for Education: Written Questions

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when his Department plans to provide a substantive response to Questions (a) 140737, (b) 140738 and (c) 140739 asked on 2 May 2018.

Nadhim Zahawi: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I have given today to Questions UIN 140737, 140738 and 140739.

Teachers: Pensions

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 15 January 2018 to Question 122066 on Teachers: Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of people affected by the policy not to retrospectively apply the amendment to those who (a) have retired and (b) left the Teachers’ Pension Scheme, before the regulations were changed.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 15 January to Question 122066 on Teachers: Pensions, whether  his Department has made an estimate of the cost of applying retrospectively the amendment to people that have (a) retired, and (b) left the Teachers’ Pension Scheme, before the regulations were changed.

Nick Gibb: No specific assessment has been made of the number of people who could have benefitted had amendments to the Teachers’ Pension Scheme been introduced in 2007, to provide that pensions for surviving spouses or civil partners would be paid for life, been implemented with retrospective effect. Similarly, the costs associated with that have not been assessed.

Nurses: Apprentices

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people have undertaken a nursing apprenticeship in the East of England in (a) 2016-17 and (b) 2017-18.

Anne Milton: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Children: Care Homes

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many notifications of the death of a child in a children’s home his Department received between 1999-2010.

Nadhim Zahawi: This is a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman. I have asked her to write to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Selective Schools Expansion Fund

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many applications have been received for funding from the Selective Schools Expansion Fund; and from whom such applications have been received.

Nick Gibb: Schools and local authorities can apply to the Selective Schools Expansion Fund until noon on 19 July 2018. The Department will not disclose the number of Selective Schools Expansion Fund applications that have been received until then. The application deadlines are set out in the guidance below: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/706313/SSEF_How_to_Apply_Guidance_2018-2019.odt.

Hugh Ind

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has had with the (a) Secretary of State for the Home Department and (b) Minister for the Cabinet Office on the appointment of Mr Hugh Ind to lead the public sector apprenticeship strategy.

Anne Milton: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

T-levels

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions his Department had with the Chief Executive of the Institute for Apprenticeships before he decided not to take advice to defer T levels until 2021.

Anne Milton: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Teaching Excellence Framework Independent Review

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what external organisations he plans to consult to take forward his Department's commitment to appoint an independent reviewer of the teaching excellence framework and its criteria of operation.

Mr Sam Gyimah: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education will appoint a suitable independent person for the purpose of preparing a report on the operation of the Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework (TEF), in accordance with the Higher Education and Reform Act 2017. In taking decisions about the TEF, he will take account of advice from partners in the higher education sector. That includes the department’s TEF Delivery Group, which is comprised of representative organisations from the sector plus the Office for Students and the devolved administrations, and gives advice on the design and development of the TEF.

Teachers: Training

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 22 March 2018 to Question 132609 on Pre-school Education: Teachers, which nursery providers have received funding to help support trainees on the Graduate Employment Based route for early years initial teacher training; how much funding each of those providers have received; and in which local authority area those providers are based.

Nadhim Zahawi: In the most recent academic year where data is available (2016/17), 460 trainees undertook Early Years Initial Teacher Training (ITT) on the Graduate Employment Based route at accredited providers across England.A total of £3,220,000 was allocated to ITT providers to fund the employer incentive of £7,000 per trainee. It is the responsibility of the ITT provider to pass this on to their respective nursery providers therefore the Department for Education does not directly hold the details of individual nursery providers and the funding they received.

Schools: Discipline

Dr Paul Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential effect of the use of isolation as a form of discipline in schools on children's mental health.

Nick Gibb: Schools are free to develop their own behaviour policies and strategies for managing behaviour according to their own particular circumstances. To help schools develop effective strategies, the Department has produced advice for schools which covers what should be included in the behaviour policy. This advice can be viewed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/behaviour-and-discipline-in-schools. Schools can adopt a policy which allows disruptive pupils to be placed in isolation away from other pupils for a limited period. If a school uses isolation rooms as a disciplinary penalty, this should be made clear in their behaviour policy. As with other disciplinary penalties, schools must act lawfully, reasonably and proportionately in all cases. The school must also ensure the health and safety of pupils. The Department is currently refreshing its guidance on pupil behaviour and mental health in schools, which will be published later this year. It will emphasise the importance of setting clear routines and expectations for the school as a whole. It will also support schools to consider the mental health needs of their pupils and to provide an appropriate response that helps pupils to improve their behaviour.

Academies

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 23 April 2018 to Question 136168 on Academies, how many checks the Charity Commission carried out on trustees of Multi Academy Trusts that have dissolved to ensure that accounting records will be preserved for a period of six years in accordance with the Charities Act 2011.

Nadhim Zahawi: This is a matter for the Charity Commission. I have asked the Chief Executive Officer,Helen Stephenson, to write to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Teachers: Training

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 25 April 2018 to Question 136072 on Teachers: Training,  how many professional exchanges for early years tutors the Education and Training Foundation has trialled.

Nadhim Zahawi: Further to my answer of 25 April 2018 to Question 136072, I can confirm that we have received the Education and Training Foundation’s (ETF) report on the training needs of early years tutors for consideration and expect it to be published shortly. Alongside the report the ETF will also publish information about the professional exchanges for early years tutors that they trialled as part of the work.

Children: Protection

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that (a) Academy and (b) Free schools provide adequate levels of (i) protection and (ii) safeguarding of students.

Nadhim Zahawi: ‘Keeping children safe in education’ (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2) is statutory guidance that all schools (including academies and free schools) must consider when carrying out their duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of their pupils.The guidance sets out the following: that children should have a safe environment in which they can learn; all staff have a role to play in safeguarding children; all staff should receive regular safeguarding training and that all schools should have an effective child protection policy. The guidance is clear on the importance of making referrals to children’s social care and/or the police when a child has been harmed or is at risk of harm.Ofsted has published guidance that sets out what inspectors must consider when inspecting safeguarding (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/inspecting-safeguarding-in-early-years-education-and-skills-from-september-2015). Inspectors will always report on whether or not arrangements for safeguarding children are effective.The Education and Skills Funding Agency has responsibility for considering safeguarding and child protection policies of academies and free schools through compliance with the schools’ funding agreements. When the department is made aware of any safeguarding issues in academies or free schools, we work quickly to involve the right organisations, consider safeguarding and child protection policies and compliance with the funding agreement. If the case requires specific child protection actions or inspection, we will make the appropriate referrals.

Academies: Finance

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 30 April 2018 to Question 138046 on Academies: Finance, whether a contentious connected party transaction has been referred to the Education and Skills Funding Agency in the last twelve months.

Nadhim Zahawi: As confirmed in the response of 30 April 2018, the information requested on contentious connected party transactions is contained within individual case files and not in a centrally recorded format. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State confirmed in his 9 June speech to the National Governance Association, that academy trusts will have to seek approval from the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) for Related Party Transaction payments of more than £20,000 and that all transactions below £20,000 will need to be declared. The ESFA will implement the changes during the 2018-19 academic year.

English Language and Mathematics: GCSE

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the cost to 16-19 education providers of delivering resits in GCSE (a) English and (b) maths in each financial year since 2014-15.

Anne Milton: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Higher Education: Admissions

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has had with universities and their representative bodies on extending their outreach activities for disadvantaged groups of young people between the ages of 11 and 16.

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has had with (a) the Director for Fair Access and Participation and (b) the Office for Students on strengthening university programmes aimed at potential applicants between the ages of 11 and 16 from disadvantaged black, working-class white and other communities.

Mr Sam Gyimah: This government is committed to widening participation to higher education for students from disadvantaged and under-represented groups. We want everyone with the potential to have the opportunity to benefit from a university education, regardless of background or where they grew up.In our first guidance to the Office for Students (OfS) we have asked them to challenge higher education (HE) providers to drive more progress through their Access and Participation Plans. Prior attainment is a critical factor in entering higher education and we are asking providers to take on a more direct role in raising attainment in schools as part of their outreach activity. The OfS have also established the National Collaborative Outreach Programme to target areas where progression into higher education is low overall and lower than expected given typical GCSE attainment rates. Through the Higher Education and Research Act, we have introduced a Transparency Duty requiring higher education providers to publish data on application, offer, acceptance, dropout and attainment rates of students by ethnicity, gender and socio-economic background. This will hold the sector to account for their record on access and retention of students from lower socio-economic backgrounds and shine a light on where they need to go further.Officials and I are in regular contact with the OfS, including the Director for Fair Access and Participation, and the higher education sector to discuss issues around widening access.

Higher Education: Admissions

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has had with the Office for Students on encouraging university applications from potential applicants with disabilities.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Widening access to higher education among under-represented or disadvantaged groups is a priority for this government. In our first guidance to the Office for Students we have asked them to ensure that higher education providers include, within their access and participation plans, those students that have been identified as requiring the most support. This includes students with disabilities. Higher education providers have clear responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 to support their students, including those with disabilities Through access agreements - in future known as access and participation plans - higher education providers expect to spend more than £860 million in 2018/19 on measures to improve access and student success for those from disadvantaged backgrounds. This is a significant increase from £404 million in 2009.

Church Commissioners

St Mary’s the Virgin Church Seaham

Grahame Morris: To ask the Honourable Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, pursuant to the Oral Answer of  26 April 2018, Official Report, col 1014, whether she has held discussions with the diocese on St Mary’s the Virgin Church, Seaham.

Dame Caroline Spelman: Since my oral answer of 26th April 2018 (Official Report, col 1014) I have consulted with representatives of the Diocese and of Seaham Parish and I understand that the land being developed is not owned either by the Parish, the Diocese or the Church Commissioners. Any objections must therefore be made formally and in the usual manner to the Local Authority planning office. To date the Diocese has not been asked to submit a view on the development. It would be for the Parochial Church Council of St Mary’s the Virgin to ask them to do so.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Plastics: Waste

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to seek the removal of plastics from supply chains; and if he will make a statement.

David Rutley: The Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan published on 11 January sets out our ambition to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste. We will do this through a four point plan that takes action at each stage of the product lifecycle – production, consumption and end of life. At the production stage, this includes encouraging producers to take more responsibility for the lifespan of their products. This involves designing products that are recyclable and made from recycled materials. At the consumer stage we want to reduce demand for single use plastics and make it easier for people to recycle. We will increase the amount of plastic being recycled, including through reforming the packaging waste regulations and exploring the scope for extending producer responsibility to other areas. There will be more detail in our Resources and Waste Strategy which will be published later this year. A call for evidence on how taxes or charges could reduce waste from single use plastics closed on 18 May. The Treasury is reviewing the responses and we are working with them on future policy options.

Food Supply

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on food security.

George Eustice: The UK has a high degree of food security, as demonstrated by the 2010 UK Food Security Assessment. Defra is currently undertaking a periodic review of the overall assessment. The UK sources food from a diverse range of countries, in addition to a strong domestic production base. The main drivers of food price changes are oil prices and weather events. This will not change after leaving the EU.

Game: Animal Welfare

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the work of the Animal and Plant Health Agency in ensuring that the Animal Welfare Act 2006 is complied with in respect of gamebirds.

George Eustice: The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) takes animal welfare seriously. APHA have powers to inspect gamebird establishments in response to reports of poor welfare. APHA ran a two day training workshop during February 2018 for veterinary and technical staff, to promote a better understanding and provide them with background to the gamebird industry, related diseases and animal welfare issues. It is intended to expand on this to include attendance at gamebird rearing units over the next few months.

Beverage Containers: Recycling

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to publish his Department's consultation on the introduction of a deposit return scheme.

David Rutley: The Government has confirmed that it will introduce a deposit return scheme in England, subject to consultation later this year. The consultation will look at the details of how such a scheme would work, alongside other measures to increase recycling rates.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Non-departmental Public Bodies

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many (a) women and (b) men his Department has appointed to each of his Department's non-Departmental Public Bodies in each of the last five years.

George Eustice: The Commissioner for Public Appointments completes and publishes an annual data survey for all new appointments and reappointments made to boards of public bodies by Government including the overall gender diversity. Data on the gender diversity of new non-executive appointees to public boards for 2012 to 2015 is published on Gov.uk(https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/diversity-in-public-appointments). Data on the gender diversity of non-executive appointees to Defra’s non-Departmental Public Bodies in 2016/17 and 2017/18 is in the table attached. Data on the gender breakdown of "executive" permanent staff appointments in each of the last five years is not held centrally and can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.  



non exec appointments
(Word Document, 12.92 KB)

Game: Animal Welfare

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many game farms in England use raised laying cages.

George Eustice: The Animal and Plant Health Agency have no information or data relating to numbers of game farms keeping laying hens in raised cages.

Arable Farming

James Cartlidge: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to support the arable sector as the UK prepares to leave the EU.

George Eustice: In our consultation on the future of agriculture policy, we provided a clear direction for future farm support based on public money for public goods. As part of this, we asked for views from those in the industry including the arable sector to make sure future agricultural policy reflects the reality of life for farmers and food producers. The consultation closed on 8 May and all responses received are being analysed and will be used to inform future policy.

Arable Farming

James Cartlidge: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made on the contribution of the arable sector to the economy in each of the last three years.

George Eustice: Statistics about agriculture in the UK are published annually. This includes an extensive range of data including production of key commodities. Provisional figures for 2017 show that gross output from agriculture generated £26.3 billion. The arable sector’s contribution to this was £4.2 billion, accounting for 15.8% of UK agricultural production. This compares with £4 billion in 2015 and £3.3 billion in 2016.

Cereals

James Cartlidge: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the economic value of grain to the UK’s food supply chain.

George Eustice: Grain-based products contributed at least £8 billion to the UK food and drink manufacturing sector in 2016, which itself contributed £29 billion to the UK economy. This is based on the value of the relevant food and drink sectors provided by the annual business survey conducted by the Office of National Statistics.

Whales: Conservation

Mr Marcus Fysh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether there has been any illegal whaling within British-administered waters; and what steps the Government is taking to prevent such whaling.

George Eustice: The UK is fully committed to upholding the global moratorium on Commercial Whaling adopted by the International Whaling Commission in 1986. The moratorium is enforced by the appropriate authorities. We are not aware of any illegal whaling activity that takes place in British-administered waters.

Wines

Thelma Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support small vineyards in the UK.

George Eustice: Defra does not distinguish between small or large vineyards, but has been working hard to support the growth and development of our flourishing domestic wine production sector as a whole. Under the current Rural Development Programme we have provided £2.736m in direct support for vineyard projects against total project costs amounting to £7.086m. This funding has been used to support various initiatives including infrastructure projects such as helping build or develop wineries or tourist facilities, to purchase winery equipment, and even the development of a smartphone app that will amongst other features, show users where their nearest vineyard is located.

Food Supply

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of effect on food supplies of potential tailbacks at UK ports resulting from the re-establishment of food inspections on EU goods in the event of no trade deal being reached with EU.

George Eustice: The food industry is highly resilient with diverse supply chains. Government works closely with industry and the devolved administrations to prepare for and respond to a range of situations which could affect food supply. Defra works closely with other Government Departments, including HMRC’s Border Delivery Group which provides oversight and assurance of departmental plans for managing border related impacts of leaving the EU.

Dogs: Sales

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the number of puppies sold by third party dealers in England in the last twelve months.

George Eustice: We recently undertook a call for evidence on a ban on the commercial third party sale of puppies and kittens in England. Evidence from the RSPCA in response to that exercise suggests between 40,000 and 80,000 puppies are sold by licensed pet shops each year.

Countryside Stewardship Scheme

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many and what proportion of people were successful in applications for (a) entry level stewardship, and (b) higher level stewardship in each region in each of the last five years.

George Eustice: The Environmental Stewardship scheme closed to new applicants in 2014. Therefore no people were successful in applications from January 2015 onwards. The following table summarises, by region, the number of applicants for Entry Level Stewardship (ELS) and Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) agreements in 2014 and the proportion of successful applications entered into in that year. RegionELS applications received in 2014ELS agreements entered into in 2014% of successful applicationsHLS applications received in 2014HLS agreements entered into in 2014% of successful applicationsEast Midlands453884%584984%East of England393487%17314684%North East1152925%312890%North West21721499%13411183%South East403998%1019594%South West47235776%29125788%West Midlands11610792%15014496%Yorkshire and the Humber3298726%766383%Total 137390566%101489388%

Countryside Stewardship Scheme

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many staff responsible for the delivery of Stewardship Programmes have been transferred from Natural England to the Rural Payments Agency.

George Eustice: As yet no staff have been transferred from Natural England to the Rural Payments Agency. In the autumn, Natural England are currently expecting to transfer approximately 400 staff to the RPA for transactional work on Environmental Stewardship and Countryside Stewardship. There are also approximately 300 temporary agency workers that are under consideration.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Department for Exiting the European Union: Chief Scientific Advisers

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many meetings he had with his Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser between 1 January and 31 March 2018.

Suella Braverman: Between 1 January and 31 March 2018 the Secretary of State met Chris Jones, Chief Scientific Adviser at DExEU, four times. It should be noted that this is a dual role combined with his position as the Director of Justice, Security and Migration.

Customs Unions: Greater London

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what assessment he has made of the effect on London of the UK leaving the customs union.

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what assessment he has made of the effect on London of the UK leaving the single market.

Mr Robin Walker: The Government is committed to positive and productive engagement with the Mayor of London and all local government within the UK, and will continue to work closely with them to understand the implications of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. Ministers from across Government have also carried out extensive engagement on EU exit with businesses and industry bodies from all sectors of the economy and all regions of the UK, including those headquartered in London.The Government is undertaking a wide range of ongoing analysis in support of our EU exit negotiations and preparations. Ministers have a specific responsibility, which Parliament has endorsed, not to release information that would reveal our negotiating position. In March 2018, the Global Financial Centres Index showed London retained its position as the leading global financial centre, for the third year in a row, ahead of New York, Singapore, Hong Kong and Tokyo. We will be seeking a bold and ambitious partnership which ensures that London maintains this world-leading position.

Borders: Northern Ireland

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what recent meetings he has held with representatives of technology firms on the use of technology at the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Mr Robin Walker: Our policy is clear – we are committed to ensuring that there is no hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland and to ensuring the same unfettered access for Northern Ireland's businesses to the whole of the UK's internal market. We have said categorically that there will be no physical infrastructure or related checks and controls at the border. In the course of meetings across a variety of sectors and industry groups, the Secretary of State discussed the UK’s proposed customs arrangements following our exit from the EU, the Northern Ireland and Ireland land border has also been discussed. Since the referendum, HMRC officials and the Border Delivery Group have also met with over 300 businesses and representative bodies covering a wide range of sectors and interests as well as engaging with a wide range of suppliers in relation to UK border arrangements both for EU Exit and longer term future border arrangements. My department has been coordinating work with HMRC, Border Force and the cross-government Border Delivery Group on this issue. They are working on finding technological facilitations in relation to the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland, and ensuring that the UK has a functioning customs regime when we leave the EU.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Meetings

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many meetings has he held with the heads of the devolved institutions since the creation of his Department.

Mr Robin Walker: The Government has been engaging with the devolved administrations throughout the negotiation process. The Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union has spoken to Ministers from the Scottish and Welsh governments on a number of occasions to update them on the negotiations, including through the Joint Ministerial Committee on EU Negotiations. In the absence of an Executive, we have also engaged at an official level with the Northern Ireland Civil Service. There have now been nine meetings of the JMC(EN), most recently on 2 May 2018. Following our commitment to further engage with the devolved administrations, the UK Government has established a new Ministerial Forum on EU Negotiations to discuss a range of issues in relation to negotiations on the UK's Future Relationship with the EU. The Ministerial Forum is jointly chaired by the Minister for the Constitution and myself, and met for the first time on 24 May 2018. Senior officials from the Northern Ireland Civil Service attend both the JMC(EN) and Ministerial Forum in the absence of an Executive.

Trade Agreements

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many countries have made a written declaration that treaties signed with the EU will continue to apply to the UK after the UK leaves the EU.

Suella Braverman: At the March European Council we agreed with the EU that the UK is to be treated as a Member State for the purposes of international agreements for the duration of the implementation period. The EU will notify third parties of this approach.Discussions we have had with our international partners suggest a willingness to find a pragmatic means of ensuring continuity of international agreements in a way that minimises the impact of the UK’s departure on them. A number of third countries have issued statements in support of this approach.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Non-departmental Public Bodies

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many (a) women and (b) men his Department has appointed to each of his Department's non-Departmental Public Bodies in each of the last five years.

Mr Steve Baker: The Department for Exiting the European Union does not have any non-Departmental public bodies and therefore we do not hold this information.

Michel Barnier

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, on what dates had he held meetings with Michel Barnier since December 2017.

Mr Steve Baker: We have always engaged constructively and as a full and responsible Member State, in order to secure a deal that works for all parts of the country. To that end, the SoS has been in contact with Michel Barnier, on a number of occasions since December last year. The SoS met him on February 5th in London, had a call on 2nd March, and most notably, they had a joint press conference in March following the agreement reached on the implementation period. Throughout this period officials have been negotiating hard and at pace on issues related to our withdrawal, including Northern Ireland and other separation issues. More recently, they have begun discussions on the future framework, with discussions covering elements of both the future security and future economic partnerships. We will of course continue to keep Parliament informed as negotiations unfold, in the coming months.

Erasmus+ Programme and Horizon 2020

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the Answer to of 4 June 2018 to Question 146757, whether the White Paper will specify the Government's policy on and intention to participate in the EU's Horizon and Erasmus+ programmes during the next funding period beyond which it has already made commitments.

Mr Robin Walker: The White Paper will cover all aspects of our future relationship with the European Union, building on the ambitious vision set out by the Prime Minister in her speeches in Florence, Munich and Mansion House.The Prime Minister has been clear that we will continue to take part in specific policies and programmes which are to the UK and the EU’s joint advantage, such as those that promote science, education and culture.

Agriculture and Food

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what the timetable is for negotiations to begin with the UK's future relationship with the EU on (a) agriculture and (b) the food trade.

Mr Robin Walker: We have already begun discussions with the EU negotiating team on our Future Economic Partnership and Future Security Partnership. This builds on the joint publication of the topics for discussion on the future framework. These topics for discussion cover aspects of the economic and security partnerships outlined by the Prime Minister, including discussions on agriculture and food. Both sides remain committed to reaching agreement on the terms of our future partnership by October.

Brexit

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the North East Brexit Group's report, Leaving the European Union, published on 4 June 2018.

Mr Steve Baker: We welcome the report from the North East Brexit Group. The Government is committed to positive and productive engagement with key business stakeholders, academic institutions and local government in the North East, as well as all of the UK, to understand the potential impact and opportunities presented by EU Exit. We are undertaking a wide range of ongoing analysis in support of our EU exit negotiations and preparations and so will consider this report as part of that.We are committed to getting the best possible deal for the United Kingdom - a deal that works for all parts of the UK including the North East.Our overall programme of work is comprehensive, thorough and is continuously updated.The Government has confirmed that when we bring forward the vote on the final deal, we will ensure that Parliament is presented with the appropriate analysis to make an informed decision.

Wales Office

Ports: Wales

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, which of Wales's ports (a) he and (b) other Ministers in his Department have visited since July 2016.

Alun Cairns: Wales Office Ministers frequently visit ports in Wales including Holyhead, Port of Milford Haven, and Pembroke Dock. UK Government officials are in contact with port operators, key stakeholders, and the Welsh Government, to discuss issues including free-flowing traffic in Wales once the UK has left the EU.

Ports: Wales

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what representations he has received from port authorities in Wales on the potential effect of the UK not agreeing a deal with the EU.

Alun Cairns: Officials in the Office of the Secretary of State for Wales and colleagues across Government meet regularly with port authorities and other maritime stakeholders in Wales to support the smooth and orderly implementation of any new arrangements required as a result of the UK’s exit from the European Union.

Ministry of Justice

Ministry of Justice: Procurement

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many contractors his Department employs who have worked for his Department for (a) up to one year, (b) over one and up to five years, (c) over five years and up to ten years and (d) over 10 years.

Dr Phillip Lee: We do not hold a complete set of information on tenure centrally. To collect this information for the whole of MoJ could only be done at disproportionate cost.

Police Custody: Children

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of children that spent a night in custody in each of the last five years.

Dr Phillip Lee: Owing to changes in case management systems, information is available for the last three years only: it relates to the total number of nights spent (not children) in custody by young people under 18 and is provided in the table below: Number of nights spent by young people under 18 in custody2014-152015-162016-173,1922,7302,347 These figures include all nights spent in custody by children and young people under 18 who have been sentenced or remanded by the courts and have subsequently been released to the community: have transitioned to the over 18 secure estate, have transferred to a Mental Health Unit; or have turned 18 years old. They do not include time spent in police custody. A child or young person is counted more than once if he or she had more than one custodial episode which ended within the year. These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large-scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and can be subject to change over time.

Prison Officers: Training

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether personal officers in the prison system receive training on the importance to the rehabilitation of prisoners of maintaining and improving family ties.

Rory Stewart: The Ministry of Justice has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Oakhill Secure Training Centre

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and which of the recommendations set out in the November 2017 report into Oakhill Secure Training Centre due to be completed (a) immediately, (b) within three months and (c) within six months have been met.

Dr Phillip Lee: The information requested is given in the table below: Recommendation TimescaleStatus All young people’s plans, interventions and risk assessments require urgent reviewing to ensure that they take full account of the young people’s offending histories, abuse histories, vulnerabilities, and other key events in their lives. Risk assessments should be regularly updated to ensure that they are effective and help to keep all young people and staff safe.ImmediateCompletedAll staff who work with young people should be aware of their risk and behaviour management plans. These plans should clearly set out what staff should do to maximise the safety of all young people and staff.ImmediateCompletedEnsure that all managers at all levels are sufficiently competent and experienced to execute their roles effectively.ImmediateCompletedAll staff should be confident and consistent in ensuring expected standards of behaviour and that rules, incentives, rewards and sanctions are applied fairly.ImmediateCompletedAll allegations of abuse or harm should be responded to in accordance with internal policies, statutory guidance, and to the satisfaction of external safeguarding partners such as the local authority and the police service.ImmediateCompletedEnsure that all incidents of bullying are responded to swiftly, investigations are thorough and completed, and subsequent actions are monitored to reduce bullying.ImmediateCompletedYoung people’s psychological needs, including their offending behaviour, must be addressed swiftly with appropriate interventions and young people should have access to sufficient psychiatric and psychological services.ImmediateCompletedAll force and restraint should be proportionate and subject to independent oversight.ImmediateCompletedSuicide and self-harm assessments and plans should be fully recorded and take account of all available information when being constructed and reviewed.ImmediateCompletedAll single separations should be properly authorised and recorded. There should be a clear policy on longer term separation that provides for a full daily regime and specifies the need for concerted efforts to resolve the issues leading to the separation.ImmediateCompletedEnsure that all searches are proportionate to risks and are fully recorded.ImmediateCompletedImprove communication and collaboration between education staff and unit staff to ensure effective joint working to better support young people’s behaviour and attendance.ImmediateCompletedAll impediments to implementing the new curriculum should be addressed so that it can be got underway. This includes vetting new staff as swiftly as possible and refurbishing the teaching areas.ImmediateCompletedReview the policy and procedures relating to the use of bedroom shower viewing panels to better promote young people’s safety, privacy and dignity. The use of these panels should be appropriately monitored and authorised to reduce the potential for misuse.ImmediateCompletedEnsure that all handcuff use is properly authorised and recorded, including any times when handcuffs are removed.ImmediateCompletedManagers should immediately and regularly assess the safety of the environment and remove or repair all hazards promptly.ImmediateCompletedEnsure that substance misuse staff receive formal recorded supervision.ImmediateCompletedAll relevant staff should be competent in assessing risk and understanding the nature of offending.3 monthsCompletedImprove and then maintain the condition of the residential units to ensure that they provide a suitable standard of accommodation to meet young people’s needs.3 monthsCompletedThe use of ICT should be resumed to improve teaching resources and enable young people to develop these skills and achieve accreditation.3 monthsCompletedGood standards of cleanliness should be maintained throughout the centre, with young people being encouraged and assisted to take responsibility for their rooms and communal areas.3 monthsCompletedExtend CCTV coverage, particularly in those areas that young people repeatedly describe as unsafe, including the education department and the stairwells.6 monthsIn progressIncrease the opportunities for young people to express their views about the centre and be involved in future developments.6 monthsCompletedUpdate the information available to young people when first admitted to the centre to ensure that it is child-friendly and provides an accurate description of what they can expect.6 monthsIn progressDevelop an effective resettlement strategy informed by a comprehensive needs analysis.6 monthsCompletedThe centre should work with the Youth Custody Service to reduce the number of young people who are admitted late at night to the centre.6 monthsCompletedEnsure that all measures are in place to reduce the potential for any security intelligence reports to be mislaid.6 monthsCompletedFood provision and portion sizes should be reviewed to ensure that they are adequate and appetising.6 monthsCompleted

Oakhill Secure Training Centre

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many hours on average per day young people have spent unlocked from their rooms in Oakhill Secure Training Centre in each month of 2018 to date.

Dr Phillip Lee: The requested information is provided below. Average hours spent unlocked from room, by month in 2018 Jan13.98Feb13.99Mar13.99Apr13.99  Information for May is not yet available.  Data on average hours per day young people have spent unlocked from their rooms are collected by the provider and submitted to the Youth Custody Service via summary level monthly returns. The data are not extracted from YCS systems. These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and can be subject to change over time. Good education in and out of the classroom and purposeful activity are the key to unlocking a secure and stable future for young people and I am determined to drive forward our comprehensive reforms so that young people are equipped with the skills to live successful, crime-free lives on release.

Oakhill Secure Training Centre

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many hours of taught education and vocational training on average per young person per week have been delivered in Oakhill Secure Training Centre in each month of 2018 to date.

Dr Phillip Lee: The information requested is provided in the following table: Hours of taught education and vocational training by month in 2018Jan24.8Feb24.5Mar24.2Apr23.4 Information for May is not yet available. Data on hours of education and training are collected by the provider and submitted to the Youth Custody Service via summary level monthly returns. The data are not extracted from YCS systems. These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and can be subject to change over time. Good education in and out of the classroom and purposeful activity are the key to unlocking a secure and stable future for young people and I am determined to drive forward our comprehensive reforms so that young people are equipped with the skills to live successful, crime-free lives on release.

Prisons: Standards

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which prisons were in special measures as of 1 June 2018; and for what reason each of those prisons was put in special measures.

Rory Stewart: Prisons are selected for special measures in line with the Prisons Directorate Performance and Assurance Framework. Special measures means HM Prisons and Probation Service has determined it needs additional, specialist support to improve performance. Decisions are made based on a combination of data, management information, judgement from operational managers and in the case of Urgent Notification, HMIP recommendations. The following prisons were in special measures 1st June 2018:Bedford, Bristol, Chelmsford, Guys Marsh, Lewes, Liverpool, The Mount, Nottingham, Wandsworth, Winchester, and Wormwood Scrubs

Ministry of Justice: Non-departmental Public Bodies

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) women and (b) men his Department has appointed to each of its non-Departmental Public Bodies in each of the last five years.

Dr Phillip Lee: The Commissioner for Public Appointments completes and publishes an annual data survey of all new appointments and reappointments made to boards of public bodies by Government including the overall gender diversity. Data on the gender diversity of new non-executive appointees to public boards for 2012 to 2015 is published on Gov.uk https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/diversity-in-public-appointments .  Figures on gender diversity of new non-executive appointees to Non Departmental Public Bodies in MoJ in 2016 and 2017 can be found in the attached table.

Prisons: Vocational Guidance

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to paragraph 52 of his Department's Education and Employment Strategy 2018, Cm 9621, published in May 2018, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that prison governors have adequate resources to commission careers advice services.

Rory Stewart: We are empowering governors to make decisions about their own prisons – ultimately, they are best placed to do this. We will devolve the entire establishment-level budget to prison governors from 1 April 2019. We will merge previously separate budgets for education, Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG), and libraries into a single budget. Governors will treat this as a single ‘pot’ and decide how much to spend on which services. They will be able to make local decisions on how much of their budget they want to spend commissioning careers advice. This will allow governors to shape a coherent IAG service, reflecting the particular needs of their establishment. In the meantime, the experienced Offender Learning and Skills Service providers, the DWP work coaches and the Community Rehabilitation Companies will continue to provide a range of employment support services for prisoners.

Offenders: Employment

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of ex-offenders who (a) worked and (b) did not work in prison industries are in P45 employment one year after release from prison

Rory Stewart: We do not currently record the data as requested. We are working with HM Revenue and Customs to enable us to capture this information in the future. A joint exercise was carried between MoJ, HMRC and DWP in 2013 to analyse the links between employment, benefits and reoffending (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/304411/experimental-statistics.pdf). This found that only 17% of adults released from prison were in P45 employment at point of release. This analysis did not, however, establish whether or not the prisoners worked whilst in custody. Reoffending is costing society approximately £15 billion a year. Effective rehabilitation needs prisoners to be willing to commit to change, take advice, learn new skills and take opportunities to work. For those individuals willing to engage, the prison system must deliver. That is why we launched the Education and Employment strategy to create a system where each prisoner is set on a path to employment from the outset. We will empower governors to commission education provision that leads to work, we will engage and persuade employers to take on ex-prisoners via the New Futures Network (NFN) and we will consult on proposals to increase the opportunities available to prisoners to gain experience in real workplaces through Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL).

Offenders: Employment

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to page 6 of his Department's Education and Employment Strategy 2018, Cm 9621, published in May 2018, what assessment his Department has made of reasons for the under-utilisation of the Workplace on Release on Temporary Licence.

Rory Stewart: The number of prisoners using release on temporary licence (ROTL) has fallen by about a third since 2013, when we reviewed the approach to ROTL. Following that review, there is now a greater focus on linking all ROTL activity to the individual’s sentence plan and an improved risk assessment and management approach. This has, however, had an unintended consequence – restrictions to improve risk management of the most serious offenders have resulted in some lower risk offenders not being able to benefit from ROTL. We are therefore consulting those involved in making ROTL decisions and those who provide ROTL placements to explore how to improve access to temporary release for those who can be trusted to take it where it supports the key aims of better engagement with individual sentence planning objectives, and particularly workplace ROTL. We want prisoners to know that there is a route to a better life and this is through purposeful activity, through education, through skills and through employment. We have an important role to help offenders build the experience they need whilst they are in prison so they can have the right attitude for work, get a job when they are released and turn their back on crime for good.

Offenders: Employment

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the commitment to recruit ex-prisoners directly into the civil service on page 8 of his Department's Education and Employment Strategy 2018, Cm 9621, published in May 2018, what estimate he has made of the number of such recruitments that will be made over what time period.

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the commitment to recruit ex-prisoners directly into the civil service on page 8 of his Department's Education and Employment Strategy 2018, Cm 9621, published in May 2018, what steps the Government plans to take to deliver that commitment.

Rory Stewart: Reoffending is costing society approximately £15 billion a year. Effective rehabilitation needs prisoners to be willing to commit to change, take advice, learn new skills and take opportunities to work – both during their sentence and after. For those individuals willing to engage, the prison system must deliver. That is why we have launched the Education and Employment strategy. The strategy will create a system in which each prisoner is set on a path to employment, with prison education and work geared towards employment on release from the outset. In line with the Education and Employment strategy, we are leading by example to remove barriers to recruitment by employing ex-offenders into Civil Service roles across Government through our ‘Going Forward into Employment’ initiative. The initiative was launched in the North West and is delivered by Civil Service Local in collaboration with HMPPS. It will be rolled out to other regions throughout 2018. Candidates are being selected from the community and the three pilot prisons- HMP Styal, HMP Thorncross and HMP Kirkham. Once the first phase of the pilot is complete we will evaluate the project, consider lessons learned and review targets for the next phase.

Prison Sentences

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people convicted in each year since 2010 have been sentenced to less than 12 months in prison.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people convicted in each year since 2010 have been sentenced to less than six months in prison.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people convicted in each year since 2010 have been sentenced to less than three months in prison.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people convicted in each year since 2010 have been sentenced to more than 12 months in prison.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) women and (b) men convicted in each year since 2010 have been sentenced to less than three months in prison.

Rory Stewart: This information is available in the attached table.



Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 10.98 KB)

Television: Licensing

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been convicted for not paying their TV license in each year since 2010.

Lucy Frazer: The number of people convicted for TV license evasion in England and Wales, from 2010 to 2017, can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/707811/outcomes-by-offence-tool-2017.xlsxFilter by ‘Offence’ and select ‘191A Television licence evasion’.

Criminal Injuries Compensation

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been refused compensation by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority for having an unspent conviction in each year since 2010.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been refused compensation by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority for having an unspent conviction since 2010 by category of that unspent offence.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been refused compensation by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority for having an unspent conviction since 2010 by category of criminal offence which caused their injury.

Dr Phillip Lee: The Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme clearly sets out that payments will be refused where the applicant has an unspent conviction specifically excluded by the Scheme. This includes custodial sentences and community orders. In 2017, CICA received over 31,000 new claims for criminal injuries compensation. Payments totalling over £142 million were paid out in the same year to victims of violent crime. PQ150726The number of applicants who have been refused compensation by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) for having an unspent conviction is: Financial yearApplications refused because of unspent convictions2010-114,2082011-124,3222012-134,9442013-144,3242014-151,8172015-161,6622016-171,1252017-182,314 PQ150727The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. PQ150728CICA does not hold the information requested.

Ministry of Justice: Public Expenditure

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for what reason his Department's budget allocations have not been fully concluded in time for the publication of its estimates memorandum.

Dr Phillip Lee: Earlier this year, the new Secretary of State set out his priorities for 2018 [as set out in the recently published Single Departmental Plan]. The allocations process ensured that the activities and funding of the Department aligned to these priorities. Although this work had not been finalised at the time that the Main Supply Estimate was published, all areas were aware of budget proposals to allow them to plan sufficiently, and appropriate governance arrangements were in place for the start of the financial year.

Social Security Benefits: Appeals

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average length of time was for the Tribunals Service to administer a First-tier Tribunal-Social Security and Child Support appeal for (a) personal independence payment, (b) employment and support allowance, (c) income support, (d) jobseeker's allowance and (e) tax credits, (f) universal credit in (i) Coventry, (ii) the West Midlands and (iii) England in the last period for which figures are available.

Lucy Frazer: The table below contains the requested information: Average length of time to administer appeals (in weeks) between October and December 2017 (the latest period for which figures are available) PIP1ESA2ISJSATax Credits3Universal CreditCoventry302930341817West Midlands4252735342019England5262228802115Social Security and Child Support data are normally registered to the venue nearest to the appellant’s home address. HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) cannot retrieve data based on the appellant’s actual address, but can produce reports detailing the number of cases that were dealt with at one of its regional centres or heard at a specific venue.Personal Independent Payment (PIP) (New Claims) (which replaced Disability Living Allowance from 8 April 2013) also includes PIP (Reassessments)Includes Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and ESA (Reassessments)Includes Working Family Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, Working Tax CreditIncludes the following venues: Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Walsall, Coventry, Nuneaton, Stoke, Telford, Hereford and WorcesterExcludes SSCS Scotland and Wales RegionAlthough care is taken when processing and analysing the data, the details are subject to inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale management system and are the best data available. The data may differ slightly from that of the published statistics as these data were run on a different date. Clearance times are dependent on several factors, such as hearing capacity at the venue closest to the appellant, or the local availability of tribunal panel members. Other factors might include the availability of the appellant or their representative, or the provision of further evidence. Additionally, a decision on the appeal may be reached after a hearing has been adjourned (which may be directed by the judge for a variety of reasons, such as to seek further evidence), or after a hearing has been postponed (again, for a variety of reasons, often at the request of the appellant). An appeal may also have been referred back to the First-tier Tribunal by the Upper Tribunal for disposal. Cases may also have been stayed at the First-tier Tribunal, pending a decision by the Upper Tribunal on a lead case. HMCTS has been working with the tribunal’s judiciary both to appoint additional judges and panel members and take forward initiatives with potential to increase the capacity and performance of the tribunal. These include reviewing current listing practices to increase the number of cases being listed on a tribunal session, and introducing case management “triage” sessions, with the aim of reducing the time taken for appeals to reach final determination. All these measures will increase the capacity of the tribunal with the aim of reducing waiting times for appellants.

Post-mortems

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the Government's policy is on the employment by Her Majesty's coroners of independent forensic pathologists; and what guidelines apply to the timeline for completion of post-mortems when carried out by such pathologists.

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that when a coroner instructs a pathologist to carry out a post mortem examination to establish the cause of a person's death that examination is concluded within a reasonable time.

Dr Phillip Lee: Where it is suspected that a death is as a result of homicide the coroner must consult with a chief of police on who should undertake the post-mortem. The Home Office maintains a register of suitably experienced and qualified forensic pathologists to conduct forensic post mortem examinations. The coroner will engage a pathologist from the register. Coroners have powers under the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 to ask a registered medical practitioner to undertake a post-mortem examination. The Coroners (Investigations) Regulations 2013 provide that the report must be made to the coroner as soon as practicable after the examination. I will raise the question of timeliness with the Department of Health and Social Care and will write to my honourable Friend.

Cabinet Office

Voting Rights: EU Nationals

Sir Vince Cable: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the Government's policy is on the voting rights of non-UK EU citizens with (a) temporary or (b) settled status in the UK after (i) 29 March 2019 and (ii) 31 December 2020.

Sir Vince Cable: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department plans to bring forward legislative proposals to amend Section 2(1)(c) of the Representation of the People Act 1983 in relation to the voting rights of non-UK EU citizens.

Chloe Smith: I refer the Hon. Member to my previous answer 129820 of 28 March 2018.

Contracts: Iraq

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which Iraq (a) Government bodies, (b) non-Governmental organisations, (c) parliamentary bodies and (i) UK and (ii) Iraq (d) research foundations and (e) training entities have contracts with the UK Government for the provision of services in Iraq (A) currently and (B) which were signed in the last two years; what sums have been made available for each such contract; and what the purpose is of each contract.

Oliver Dowden: This information is not held centrally.Since January 2011, details of central government contracts above the value of £10,000 are published on Contracts Finder. Contracts published prior to 26 February 2015 can be viewed at: https://data.gov.uk/data/contracts-finder-archive. Those published after 26 February 2015 can be viewed at: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search

Mass Media

Frank Field: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the (a) start-up and (b) operation costs of the Government's rapid rebuttal unit; what the scope of that unit is; and what operations that unit has conducted so far.

Chloe Smith: The rapid response (note: not “rebuttal”) unit monitors news and information being shared and engaged with online, including misinformation and disinformation. It identifies emerging issues and ways to collaborate across Whitehall to respond quickly, accurately and with integrity. The Unit is part of the Government Communications Service (GCS).Since launching the unit has provided round the clock monitoring on breaking news stories, ranging from the chemical weapons attack in Syria to domestic stories relating to the NHS and crime, working with press offices to formulate appropriate responses. We will be publishing blogs on the GCS website, outlining the progress of the unit.The unit currently has five full time members of staff and four additional members of staff supporting the unit as part of their wider roles.We are continually reviewing resource and cost to ensure the unit functions effectively.Breakdown of costsHuman resourceNOTE: Percentage denotes time on other responsibilities.Grade SIO x 2 = 100%Grade IO x 2 = 100%Grade AIO x 1 = 100%Sub total Annual Cost £216,007*Grade 6 x 1 = 50%Grade 7 x 2 = 50%SCS x 1 = 20%Sub total Annual Cost £126,818*Total Combined: £342,825 per full financial year*Costs represent a full financial year with the team at full capacityAdditional staffing resource is being provided through a programme of full time secondments, funded by individual departments.TechnologySoftware, technology and development costs come from a central (existing) budget.

Electoral Register

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the total cost was of the transfer to Individual Electoral Registration; and what proportion of such costs was borne by local government.

Chloe Smith: The total cost of the Electoral Registration Transformation Programme, which introduced Individual Electoral Registration (IER) in 2014, was £116.2 million. Funding for the Programme was provided by central Government. The figure includes the cost of funding provided by central Government to local authorities to cover the additional costs associated with IER compared to the previous household system. The figure also includes the costs of establishing the IER digital service and certain voter registration activities.Since the transition to IER, central Government has continued to provide direct funding to local authorities to cover the additional costs of IER compared to the previous household system.

Local Government: Elections

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many non-UK EU citizens living in the UK voted in the 2018 local government elections.

Chloe Smith: Information on the number of citizens from EU Member States other than the UK who voted at the local elections is not recorded.

Ballot Papers

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment his Department has made of the efficacy of the  design of ballot papers for people who have difficulties of sight.

Chloe Smith: The Government has improved the design and accessibility of ballot papers and forms at elections and referendums. This involved public user-testing of the revised voting forms, including the ballot paper, poll cards and postal voting statements. The work took into account the findings in the Electoral Commission’s “Making your mark” report and made improvements to forms which voters use in order to make voting as accessible as possible. People who have visual impairments are further supported to vote independently through each polling station being equipped with a tactile voting device and the availability of large print copies of the ballot paper. Through the work its expert Accessibility of Elections Working Group, which includes the Royal National Institute of Blind People, the Government continues to consider how the voting experience of blind and visually impaired people can be further improved. A change has also been made to the Certificate of Visual Impairment in England by the Department of Health to allow local authorities, when registering people for the certificate, to expressly signpost them to the local authority electoral services team for support. This has been facilitated through an amendment to care and support statutory guidance.

Electoral Register: Young People

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department plans to replicate the Northern Ireland electoral registration schools initiative to increase electoral registration among people aged 16 in England.

Chloe Smith: We have no plans to introduce this measure in England, where arrangements are not comparable to Northern Ireland. Many Electoral Registration Officers in England already work with schools and colleges in their local area to promote registration. The Government fully supports such activity. We are also supporting the registration of young people in England through an upcoming suffrage resource for secondary schools and through the recruitment of Youth Democracy Ambassadors.

Local Government: Elections

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the total cost to the public purse was of conducting the 2018 local government elections.

Chloe Smith: The costs of local elections are not collated centrally. The funding of local elections is a matter for each local authority.

Electoral Register

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government is taking to increase voter registration within Commonwealth communities in the UK.

Chloe Smith: The Government is committed to building a fair, secure and inclusive democracy that works for everyone. The December 2017 Democratic Engagement Plan sets out our plans for doing this. We expect action under the Plan to benefit members of Commonwealth communities in the UK, alongside a wide range of other groups of eligible citizens.At the same time, Electoral Registration Officers have a duty to maintain a complete and accurate register. They share responsibility for engaging citizens with electoral registration with the Electoral Commission, which has a statutory duty to promote public awareness

Elections

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what contingency plans his Department has in the event that it is alerted to online interference with information systems for UK elections.

Chloe Smith: Protecting the UK’s political system from hostile cyber activity is one of the National Cyber Security Centre’s key priorities. We have systems in place to defend against electoral fraud at all levels and have seen no successful cyber intervention in UK democratic processes. The NCSC offers political parties access to the best cyber security guidance and support, and will provide cyber security guidance to the range of bodies – notably local authorities – involved in an election.

Public Sector: Buildings

Laura Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate his Department has made of the current average public sector office space in square meters per full-time employee.

Oliver Dowden: The State of the Estate report is published annually and provides information on the efficiency and sustainability of the central civil estate. Further details on use of office space is available in Chapter 3 of this report and can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/state-of-the-estate-report-2016-to-2017

Government Departments: Buildings

Laura Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the running costs of the government estate for 2018-19; and what those costs were in each of the last three years.

Oliver Dowden: The operating costs of the central estate, as reported in the State of the Estate report, were £2.57 billion in 2016-17, £2.55 billion in 15-16 and £2.7 billion in 14-15. This shows a reduction of 7.5% in real terms in the preceding three years.The State of the Estate report is published annually and provides information on the efficiency and sustainability of the central civil estate. Further details on the operating costs of the government estate are set out in chapter 2 and Appendix D of the following:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/state-of-the-estate-report-2016-to-2017Previous versions of the report can be found using the following web links:2015-16: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/state-of-the-estate-report-2015-to-20162014-15:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/state-of-the-estate-2014-to-2015The work on the State of the Estate 2017 - 2018 report is ongoing.

Public Sector: Empty Property

Laura Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of the public sector estate was vacant as of 1 May 2018.

Oliver Dowden: Total vacant space for 2016-17 was 1.5% of the total Central Estate as per the State of the Estate report. The government vacancy rate remains 6 percentage points less than the private sector average of 7.5% and in the last four years, has fallen by 40% compared to a fall of 26% in the private sector average, reflecting better use of the estateThe State of the Estate report is published annually and provides information on the efficiency and sustainability of the central civil estate. Further details on vacant space is available in Chapter 2 of this report and can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/state-of-the-estate-report-2016-to-2017The work on the State of the Estate 2017 - 2018 report is ongoing.

Public Sector: Greater London

Laura Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of the public sector estate is in London.

Oliver Dowden: London accounted for c.20% of the Central Estate, as per the State of the Estate report 2016-17. The size of the overall Central Estate has decreased by over 1.3 million m2 in the last four years.In the long term, the London Estate could see a reduction in civil servants through the gradual relocation of public service into other regions. This will drive further efficiencies in London and also support economic growth in other parts of England, supported by the Government Hubs programme facilitating moves to more modern and efficient buildings.The State of the Estate report is published annually and provides information on the efficiency and sustainability of the central civil estate. Further details on the location of the government estate are set out in chapter 2 of the following:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/state-of-the-estate-report-2016-to-2017

Government Departments: Buildings

Laura Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of the central government estate is based in city centres.

Oliver Dowden: The government property database does not contain classification using city centres.

Government Departments: Buildings

Laura Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether all government property has a record on e-PIMS; and if he will make a statement.

Oliver Dowden: e-PIMS is a comprehensive electronic register of all central government property holdings, including information about requirements for new accommodation, and vacant and surplus properties. Bodies are responsible for entering complete and accurate information about all the properties they use and control on e-PIMS, and complete an annual verification process to confirm they have done this. Regular data quality assurance and sample checks are also carried out by the Office of Government Property.Providing property information is mandatory for all:- government departments- non-ministerial departments and their executive agencies- arms length bodies- non-departmental public bodies- special health authoritiesMandatory recording of information on e-PIMS does not apply to local authorities, the NHS (except for Special Health Authorities), public corporations, privatised railway undertakings, the Crown Estate; the Overseas estate or the Defence Estate (subject to some exceptions).There are some other exclusions from e-PIMS, such as information about certain highly specialist properties (e.g. flood defences, pipelines, wayleaves and easements).

Government Departments: Buildings

Laura Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much has been spent from the public purse on developing and improving government properties with the intention of adding value prior to a sale since October 2014.

Oliver Dowden: The Office of Government Property does not collect this information.

Government Departments: Buildings

Laura Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the Government's Estate Strategy of October 2014 on localism.

Oliver Dowden: The 2014 Government Estate Strategy (which can be found here; https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/360262/Government_estate_strategy.pdf) represented a leap in the scale of our ambition - with commitments that recognised the potential of our estate to become a platform to deliver better integrated public services and economic growth across the UK. As an example, the One Public Estate (OPE) programme, which brings together all public sector bodies within a locality to develop a radical new approach to managing their land and property. OPE has grown from a pilot working with 32 councils in 2014 to a national programme supporting 319 councils - over 90% of councils in England - to deliver better integrated, customer-focused services, local growth and efficiencies.To date, these partnerships have secured £94m in capital receipts, £20m savings in running costs, over 5,700 jobs and releasing land for 2,800 homes. We have also facilitated over 80 public sector co-locations, responding to local demands to bring services together under one roof.Recognising the need to boost local economies further, the Government also remains committed to relocating public bodies and Civil Service roles out of London across the United Kingdom. As such, the Cabinet Office has established the Places for Growth programme. This aims to drive the delivery of our commitment to move arm’s length bodies and some departmental activities outside of London and the South East to help promote growth in the regions and nations of the UK.The 2018 Government Estate Strategy, due for publication later this year, will continue to ensure our policies drive growth and opportunity across the UK and provide a Government Estate that works for everyone.

Elections: ICT

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the implications are for the Government's policies of recommendation 10 of the report of the Association of Electoral Administrators entitled It’s time for urgent and positive Government action: The AEA’s review of the 2017 local government elections and the UK Parliamentary general election, published in September 2017, on the Government undertaking a full examination of the benefits of and issues presented by electronic forms of counting in order to assess effectiveness where it is currently permitted and to consider suitability for use at other types of election.

Chloe Smith: The total cost of the Electoral Registration Transformation Programme, which introduced Individual Electoral Registration (IER) in 2014, was £116.2 million. Funding for the Programme was provided by central Government. The figure includes the cost of funding provided by central Government to local authorities to cover the additional costs associated with IER compared to the previous household system. The figure also includes the costs of establishing the IER digital service and certain voter registration activities.Since the transition to IER, central Government has continued to provide direct funding to local authorities to cover the additional costs of IER compared to the previous household system.

Election Offences

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department's press release entitled New Electoral Laws proposed to combat intimidation in public life, published on 6 February 2018, what progress has been made on introducing a new electoral offence of intimidating parliamentary candidates and party campaigners.

Chloe Smith: We are in the process of designing a public consultation on the introduction of a new offence in electoral law of intimidating Parliamentary candidates and party campaigners. It will be launched during the summer.

Civil Servants: Pay

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much was disbursed from the public purse for Civil Service pay by each department of state in July 2016.

Oliver Dowden: Departments publish each month their total workforce costs on GOV.UK; https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/government-transparency-and-accountability?keywords=workforce+management+information&public_timestamp%5Bfrom%5D=&public_timestamp%5Bto%5D=

Civil Servants: Pay

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much was disbursed from the public purse for Civil Service pay by each department of state in April 2018.

Oliver Dowden: Departments are required to publish each month their total workforce costs on GOV.UK and can be found here; https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/government-transparency-and-accountability?keywords=workforce+management+information&public_timestamp%5Bfrom%5D=&public_timestamp%5Bto%5D=Not all departments have yet published data for April 2018.

Older People: Departmental Responsibilities

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment the Government has made of the potential merits of creating the role of Minister for Older People.

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of increased co-ordination between Departments on addressing the needs of older people.

Mr David Lidington: I refer the Hon Member to the answer given by the Prime Minister to PQ135419 on 23 April.

Election Offences: Fines

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment the Government has made of the potential merits of increasing fines payable for breaches of election rules.

Chloe Smith: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Vale of Clwyd (Mr Ruane) on Monday 21 May 2018 to written question PQ144210.

United Nations: Secondment

Nia Griffith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants have been seconded to the UN from each Department in each of the last five years.

Oliver Dowden: Comprehensive information about how many civil servants have been seconded to the UN from each Department in each of the last five years is not tracked centrally.Departments manage and record their own secondment activity which is not tracked centrally, in order to meet their business and staff development needs.

Census: Languages

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government has plans to include in the 2021 census a question that records where multiple languages are being spoken in a household.

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Response
(PDF Document, 145.16 KB)

Immigration: EU Nationals

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has made an estimate of the number of non-UK EU citizens resident in the UK before 1 January 1973 who have indefinite leave to remain.

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Response
(PDF Document, 66.5 KB)

Electoral Register

Jo Stevens: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the difference is between the number of voters on the electoral register compared to the electoral register data used for the current parliamentary boundary review.

Chloe Smith: Parliament previously agreed legislation that requires the 2018 Boundary Review to be based on the December 2015 electoral registers. Data published by ONS shows that the number of electors on these registers was 44,722,004. ONS has recently published data showing that there were 46,148,035 electors on the December 2017 electoral registers.Registers used for a boundary review are necessarily a snapshot and the registers have always continued to change while a review takes place.Without the current parliamentary boundary reviews, MPs could end up representing constituencies based on data that is over 20 years’ old, disregarding significant changes in demographics, house building and migration.

Prime Minister: Staff

Angela Rayner: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants were employed in the Prime Minister's Office as of 19 March 2018.

Oliver Dowden: The Prime Minister’s Office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office and statistics on the departmental workforce are published each month at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/payroll-costs-and-non-consolidated-pay-data